While fans often turn up in droves and enjoy the events at Namboole, access to the stadium remains a major headache with chaos part of the everyday events at the gates. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE
To understand the work that Uganda and perhaps her neighbors Kenya and Tanzania have to do ahead of CHAN 2024, which is due February 1–28, one has to look at the specific roles of the 13 subcommittees of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC).
FUFA expects to hand over the hosting rights to the LOC, which comprises individuals recommended by both the federation and the Ministry of Education and Sports, in earnest.
Finance
Everything runs with finances. The government has apparently committed Shs 1.3 trillion for the 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN) and the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. At least Shs 350b is supposed to go to CHAN with over Shs 49b expected to be released this week.
According to Bernard Patrick Ogwel, the chairperson of the finance subcommittee, they need to “prepare the budget framework for all committees, consolidate them, and present them to LOC for approval.”
They will operate a cashless structure and have to provide the financial reports and accountability for the project. There is general acceptance that all Ugandan authorities are fully behind this, including President Yoweri Museveni, who had a meeting with CAF president Patrice Motsepe. However, even that and the backing from First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Janet Museveni have not been enough to escape government bureaucracies when it comes to releasing funds.
Infrastructure
CHAN or AFCON will happen or fall on infrastructure. Uganda will host the competition at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole.
But it still needs work on its lighting. There are five training pitches for the tournament, including the one at Namboole, which is already available. Kadiiba and Kyambogo are still under construction. Wankulukuku needs work on its lights and dressing rooms, while Kampala International School of Uganda (KISU) needs work with its lights and surface.
According to the chairman of the infrastructure subcommittee, Ambrose Tashobya, Kabaka Kyabaggu Stadium is also in the mix, and defining works on all these facilities starts on December 15 and should end on January 20.
They also have to sign Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and contracts with owners of the facilities. On Wednesday, the subcommittee met the Permanent Secretary Kedrace Turyagyenda to make a case for funding, as there have been changes with some of the training grounds. Some were not in the initial plan when the AFCON bid was made but have become a priority ahead of CHAN.
A team from Total Energies, one of CAF’s biggest tournament sponsors, visited Namboole on Thursday.
The Namboole playing turf which is one of the few things that now meet international standards. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE
Legal/brand protection
Most of the subcommittees will have to work together. The legal side has to advise all subcommittees but also draft any paperwork that they might require and harmonize it with CAF requirements.
According to FUFA lawyer Denis Lukambi, “due to timelines from CAF, we might need waivers for some things and we should be able to get those. But we should also be able to understand how our tax and employment laws might affect the entire process. We also need to be in touch with bodies like URSB (Uganda Registration Services Bureau) and URA (Uganda Revenue Authority).”
The hosting agreement for CHAN has not been signed yet, and both CAF and the government have to work in ways where they do not undermine each other’s statutes and laws.
Commercial/marketing
CAF retains the majority of the commercial rights surrounding the tournament. For example, only Puma equipment like balls can be used at the tournament.
However, Uganda has got to find a way to maximize the value of the tournament “and position itself as the best destination for the world,” according to Rogers Byamukama.
“We propose a corporate meeting that should have CAF and the LOC to popularize CHAN and AFCON to potential partners.”
Communication/signage
According to the chairperson of this subcommittee, Dennis Mugimba, they want to be able to promote the tournament through some social media channels like TikTok, use mainstream media both at home and outside the country, and create an app where one can find all information regarding the tournament.
“We also do not see a problem in us asking the President (Yoweri Museveni) to lift the ban on Facebook.”
Most of the visiting countries are big on Facebook, and it will be a shame for them to find it blocked in Uganda.
ICT/Accreditation
As people flock into the country, the ICT subcommittee believes it should be easy for them to access SIM cards. They also have to work with the communication team on things like developing an app.
However, you have probably been at Namboole and struggled to make a call or post anything on social media. Now imagine the national embarrassment if journalists or fans from other countries cannot communicate a goal in real-time to their followers back home.
Or imagine if we extrapolate the confusion we have previously seen at the gates during Uganda Cranes games to the continent because of the reasons we have been given before, like poor network, bar codes not reading, and mobile money challenges.
“In the stadium, we want to prioritize having a 5G network, but also because this is a live event, we want to have more internet service providers than just the national one (NITA-U).
“We will also require robust Wi-Fi to help especially the journalists doing their work and the technical people that need to have good communication at all times,” a member of the subcommittee said.
While at it, most of these services will require back-up power plans. Power blackouts have happened at various Afcon tournaments, but Uganda can do well to avoid them.
The attention in the room as this subcommittee presented their expectations showed that probably some of the things they proposed had probably not received enough attention in the initial planning.
Medical
According to Caf Host Country’s manager Serge Assume from Gabon, Caf will visit hospitals earmarked to serve the competition to see if they are up to required standards.
The chairperson of this subcommittee, Dr. Apollo Ahimisibwe, said they need to carry out a risk assessment, advise visitors about dangers like Malaria in Uganda, and also provide insurance cover where necessary.
“More importantly, we need to find out if the visiting teams have their insurance from wherever they are coming from and if it applies in Uganda. Where it does not, we need to come up with solutions.”
Workforce/volunteers
All tournaments need volunteers who will work with fans, guests, and visiting teams probably from when they jet into the country until they leave after the matches.
These have to be trained about their roles.
Team services
This is probably where the most sensitive work is and one of the subcommittees that will have to work with teams before they arrive here.
They need to understand visa requirements, ensure all members of a team get accommodation in the same hotel, and ensure teams that come with their own chefs can find access to hotel kitchens. One would imagine there is a lot of diplomacy, negotiation, and sensitization that will be required for such provisions to be made.
“Some teams come with bigger contingents than allocated for by Caf. The extra people pay for themselves, but they usually want to stay in the same hotel with the team. You need to find out these possibilities,” Fufa president and vice chairperson of the Loc Moses Magogo, said.
He had earlier warned that the inexperience of Ugandans in hosting and attending Caf tournaments could be a major cause of planning stress.
Meanwhile, some countries could arrive with private jets, and all this collaboration with the concerned agencies in the country must be done smoothly and beforehand.
Guest management
If teams finding accommodation sounds obvious, then think about guests. The worry here is minimal for Chan because it is in Kampala, where hotels are quite available.
“My worry is with Hoima. It is stressed and does not have accommodation to take care of four teams and their fans. We need to do a hospitality assessment there and probably interest the private sector in making such an investment,” Mugimba shared.
The same concerns arise for Lira, which is considered a backup plan for Afcon if one of Kenya and Tanzania pull out.
Beyond that, volunteers in this area will need to be trained in language proficiency, protocols of handling diplomatic guests during both arrivals and departures. The app could, for example, help in where to find hotels, medical services, transport means, and other required services.
Spectator Services and Fan Experience
This subcommittee has the biggest task of ensuring both Chan 2024 and Afcon 2027 are the best tournaments that Caf has ever held – at least for the fans.
The idea for now is to bring on fan ambassadors and artists. They also hope to have fan parks and push Caf for a trophy tour around the country to mobilize local fans.
Busy phase
Events operations
They have to ensure the tournament and the draws, if they are given to Uganda, move on smoothly. They have to ensure everything is operational and that everyone and everything is in the right place.
Security and safety
With Uganda’s nightlife, the security services will have an overstretched mandate.
They also have to ensure the right people come in through the airport, borders, and perhaps water bodies. They have to secure hotels, training grounds especially for the teams, man exit and entry points at the stadium, and secure routes to the stadium and the last mile (the area surrounding the stadiums).
They will be in charge of escort services, review accreditation, and also counter terrorism threats, among others.
Namboole can be a pain to access on match day. After one event, a security expert on television once suggested that the planning needs to start with controlling traffic flow around the heavily affected areas like Kireka and Bweyogerere.
Imagine traffic gridlock on Northern Bypass or around Kireka and Bweyogerere during Chan.
Party mood
While fans often turn up in droves and enjoy the events at Namboole, access to the stadium remains a major headache with chaos part of the everyday events at the gates. Recently, Fufa invited bids for ticketing services in the hope that having a singular company carry out this mandate will reduce the number of incidents involving fans fighting to get into Namboole.
