Uganda, Rwanda accept joint 2017 AFCON bid

Published on: 29 August 2014
Uganda, Rwanda accept joint 2017 AFCON bid
Uganda player

The Football Federations of Uganda and Rwanda have accepted a joint bid together with Kenya to co-host the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

Early this week the Kenya FA President Sam Nyamweya indicated they were ready to bid before he contacted his counterparts in Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.

But the Uganda FA President, Moses Magogo told AfricanFootball.com that they have accepted the joint bid, but will still have to consult with the government.

“Yes we are okay with having a joint bid, but having the Afcon in our region is not a small matter. We have asked Kenya to make the request formal in writing so that we can consult with the government to see if they can give us clearance on this,” said Magogio who said hosting such a big event has issues to do with security.

On Friday the Rwanda FA also accepted Kenya’s request for a joint bid, but their Ministry of Sports and Culture indicated that they will also first have to consult with other stakeholders.

“I will have to discuss with stakeholders to see if Rwanda can back this bid but I believe East Africa has the infrastructure to host the continental tournament,” said Rwanda’s New Sports Minister Joseph Habineza.

This development comes after Libya who had been selected to host the 2017 Afcon event pulled because of the political instability on-going in the country that has led to delays in plans to build stadiums.

Libya had hoped to build 11 stadiums at a cost of US$314 million to be able to host a successful event.

CAF say that countries wishing to host the tournament have until September 30 to express their interest. A decision on Libya's replacement will be made next year.

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