Nyamweya points out what might cost Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania the AFCON bid

Former Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Sam Nyamweya has identified one major disadvantage the Pamoja Africa Cup of Nations bid could face.

In what is dubbed the Pamoja bid, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania have expressed their desire to host the 2027 Cup of Nations, but there is one major setback the bid might face.

"Mostly CAF goes for nations that have hosted some of their junior events before, like U17, U20, and even women's tournaments, when picking a host nation, and you know we have never hosted such tournaments in the country," explained Nyamweya.

"I really don’t know what criteria they will use, but this being a tournament to be co-hosted by the three nations, they may change tune; they may use other avenues, and this will be an added advantage to the bid."

However, the former football administrator believes President William Ruto’s desire to have the competition held in the East African region could give the joint an advantage.

"But with the current bid being fully supported by the heads of state from the three nations, I have a strong feeling it will be the first time for AFCON to come to East Africa.

"It is a good bid coming at a time when we have a President [William Ruto], who has already shown keen interest in supporting sports, especially football, in the country," he added.

"With three countries keen to co-host the AFCON, I think they have a better chance to pass the CAF test. It is not a Kenyan affair but a three-nation affair, which makes it even possible for the bid to be approved by CAF."

A major concern that the Pamoja bid has to address is the availability of venues that meet the CAF standards, and Nyamweya believes East Africa will meet this requirement.

"For example, we will need two venues from each country to host the event; in Kenya, we have Kasarani and Nyayo, which only need refurbishment to be ready, while Uganda and Tanzania have two of their biggest stadiums. If the bid was for Kenya alone, then it could remain a pipe dream to have it come home," he continued.

"We must now shift focus to improving our facilities, our stadiums must be up to the CAF standards; same for our airlines; same for our hotels; we need five-star hotels for this event, which we already have."

Should the bid succeed, it will be the very first time the biennial continental competition is held in either Kenya, Uganda, or Tanzania.