Cranes, fans must dig deeper after Chan shift
Bernard Muwanga
KAMPALA- The announcement, on Saturday, that Kenya wouldn’t host for the 2018 Africa Nations Championship (Chan) was not shocking, at least in many corners.
Grapevine, for months, had hinted that the Confederation of African Football (Caf) would strip Kenya of the hosting rights.
The decision was eventually ratified by a Executive Committee meeting in Accra, Ghana on Saturday setting in motion a process that will see Caf confirm a replacement soon.
It came after a Caf inspection team said the decision was made reported that “in light of accumulated delays from reports of the various inspection missions conducted in the country.”
The tournament for only locally-based players was slated to run from January 12 to February 4 and Kenya would have been the second successive east African country to stage the Chan after Rwanda in 2016.
There has been media speculation that Morocco or South Africa may replace Kenya, though Caf say a bidding process for new hosts was opened immediately with a decision in 15 days’ time.
Uganda Cranes did qualify for the 16-team event for a fourth successive time, knocking out South Sudan and Rwanda enroute.
While the debate on Kenya’s failure to meet its objectives rages, as was the case when they pulled the plug of the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, the cost analysis will start in earnest.
A tournament in Kenya would have meant a ‘cheap’ trip across the border for many Ugandans as much less costs to Fufa who are guaranteed US$175,000 (Shs630m) for Cranes’ qualification.
For fans, it would only take a bus ride that doesn’t require a visa as Kenya and Uganda belong to the East Africa Community (EAC). In addition, the culture, food and language wouldn’t be alien to many.
This is also a smack in the face for Kenya having taken a massive two years before any meaningful work began having won rights to host the tournament in 2015.
The move came just a few days after the Kenyan cabinet approved a Ksh4.2bn (Shs130bn) towards preparing venues for the biennial championship.
Back in January, Fufa president Moses Magogo, upon Cranes’ return from the 2017 Afcon in Gabon, told the media that he wants Uganda to bid for the 2025 tournament.
It was a bold statement. However, many will argue that it’s only a pipe dream as the Ugandan government who are the biggest stakeholder in such a venture have not blinked.
