13 Mar 2023

BoNa 2027 organising committee in partnership with Footballers Union of Botswana (FUB) and Hatsalatladi Academy hosted a football spectacle on Saturday March 11 at Hatsalatladi to garner public support to host Africa Cup Of Nations (AFCON) in 2027.

A joint bid of Botswana and Namibia is expected to not only improve football, but also boost their economies hence a public buy-in is necessary.

Organising committee hosted four social clubs to a tournament, one from the host village and three from Molepolole.

Besides sensitising people about the bid, the tournament was also used to combat social ills among youth and residents of Hatsalatladi. 

The event was also used as a grassroot coaching clinic for school-going children. 

During the tournament Hatsalatladi Social Club beat Thebephatshwa Galaxy 1-nil in the finals and won gold medals.

Officiating at the event, Bona 2027 chairperson, Ashfold Mamelodi said hosting an event of this magnitude was not an easy task. 

He said a survey of infrastructural requirements for the two countries had already been conducted and had revealed that there was no infrastructure to support the bid.

He said such was a great challenge calling for construction of state of the art facilities such as stadiums, hotels as well as advanced medical facilities. 

He said the host broadcaster in this case the national broadcaster required an upgrade of their equipment. 

“If the bid becomes successful, the two countries will be left with top notch infrastructure and professional teams,” he said.

MP for Molepolole North Oabile Regoeng echoed the sentiments, urging the public to fully support this bid. 

He commended the local organising committee for exposing school-going children to football at a professional level and inspire them, adding that such would deter them from social ills. 

“Bringing this tournament to Hatsalatladi will benefit residents economically,” he said.

Kweneng District Council chairperson, Allen Jacobs likewise encouraged everyone to rally behind BoNa 2027 and use sport as a tool to discourage children and youth from engaging in harmful activities such as crime, alcohol and substance abuse.

Kgosi Saki Gabanamotse thanked BoNa 2027 for launching the bid in the village among the many activities to take place in support of the bid country wide. 

“Like they say, an idle mind is a devil’s workshop,” he said, adding that getting young people engaged in meaningful activities was one way of addressing the problem.

Giving an overview of the tournament, chairperson of the Local Organising Committee Petros Bodutu explained that after realising that drug usage was rife among youth, public officers based in Hatsalatladi came together and thought of ways to combat such social ills.

He said they then decided to engage them in football to create interest by hosting tournaments with various social clubs in Hatsalatladi. Further he said they approached Mamelodi for support and he agreed to help them to host the tournament in partnership with BoNa 2027 and other stakeholders.

The tournament is one of the various events that BoNa 2027 will utilise to appraise the public about its bid for AFCON 2027. Ends