CHAN 2018: CAF Demands KSh7 Billion Commitment From Kenya

Confederation of African Football (CAF) is requesting a KSh7 billion commitment from the Kenyan government for CHAN 2018 hosting rights.

The continental body has given Kenya until August 28 to respond and convince them on the state of their preparedness in hosting the tournament. It is waiting to see how the August 8 General Election will pan out before sending its delegation 20 days later for a final assessment of tournament facilities.

See: Kenya’s CHAN 2018 Hosting: What You Must Know About Looming Loss of Hosting Rights

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Nick Mwendwa who attended the two-day CAF symposium held in Rabat said he presented a report detailing the readiness of the country for the tournament before the Executive Committee set the deadline.

Speaking to the press in the Moroccan capital, Mwendwa said:

“I sat with the exco and there is goodwill from them. They still want CHAN in Kenya. Only ourselves can throw away this rare chance because they want to find serious work in progress in their last inspection visit. The government and every stakeholder must prove we need this by word and deed.”

“We need to host it at least to improve our infrastructure and give our players good grounds to play in. You have seen our players unable to deliver on some turfs simply because they are used to rough conditions, we can change that and here is the opportunity.”

Mwendwa went on to breakdown the KSh7 billion commitment money demanded by CAF saying that Ksh4 billion will be used for construction work while the other KSh3 billion is for “soft operations”.

Read Also: AFCON Expansion: CAF Mulling Over Competitions Format And Timing

Kenya’s neighbors, Ethiopia, have been earmarked as an alternative option if Kenya fails to show commitment.

The President of the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) Juneydi Basha has, however, said he is rooting for Kenya. He said Kenya should “avoid shame” by pulling through to host CHAN 2018, despite the possibility of it benefiting his nation if moved.

“We are neighbors in CECAFA zone, so we wish that Kenya gets it right this time round. We know CHAN is coming to Ethiopia in 2020 and there is no debate about that. Why should we, therefore, laugh while Kenya is crying?”

Kenya is hoping to avoid a repeat of 1996 when the country failed to host Africa Cup of Nations, which was then taken to South Africa who went on to win the competition.