President Ruto, Benni McCarthy, ‘Tenderpreneurs’ and Other Big Winners of AFCON 2027 Confirmation

Fingers were crossed across East Africa on Friday following reports that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) was set to move the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations to 2028.

All eyes therefore turned to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where CAF was holding an Executive Committee meeting but after the sitting, president Patrice Motsepe made it clear that AFCON 2027 is here to stay and will be staged next year in East Africa.

There was a sigh of relief and in Kenya, there must have been celebrations across different groups whose careers or businesses depend on having the AFCON next year.

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So, who are the biggest winners of CAF’s confirmation that AFCON 2027 will be held next year?

President William Ruto has made the Talanta Stadium his main infrastructural project and he is keen to complete it just in time for the tournament and the 2027 General Election.

The President is seeking re-election and completing big projects in time will be a major campaign tool for him as he looks to convince Kenyans that he is still the right man for the job.

Already, the Head of State has announced the construction of various stalled stadiums across the country but the ultra-modern Talanta Stadium will be good for the optics and will endear him to young people, who form a big voting bloc, and some whose talents will benefit from the new facility.

Besides this, confirmation that the tournament will be staged between June and July, 2027 allows the President to come up with another set of multimillion rewards to Harambee Stars players as motivation, another tool designed to win him hearts and votes just before the polls in August.

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has a contract with Kenya until 2027, taking his stint up to the AFCON tournament, and has made it clear that he intends to return to club management after the event.

Speaking during the CHAN 2024 tournament last August, McCarthy said he does not intend to stay into a national team role beyond his contract and therefore moving AFCON to 2028 would have disrupted his plans but he now has a clear direction of travel.

McCarthy can now plan for a successful AFCON 2027 for Harambee Stars as he engages potential suitors who will be keen on his services beyond the tournament.

Harambee Stars players would have benefited by the exposure and prestige that comes with playing at AFCON even if it was in 2028 or beyond but 2027 is the perfect timing.

This is because being an election year, politicians will be falling over themselves to reward them with lucrative cash bonuses designed to endear them to voters.

Just like the CHAN 2024 tournament, President William Ruto will lead from the front and they cannot rule out opposition candidates as well as those who will be seeking various seats such as governor, senator or Member of Parliament, especially in Nairobi.

It is going to be harvest time for the Harambee Stars players.

Following the confirmation, Kenyan sportsmen and women will be among the winners as there is now genuine pressure on the government to complete key infrastructure in time.

With Talanta Stadium complete, alongside the outdoor pitches at the facility, Kasarani and Nyayo Stadium undergoing renovations as well as a number training venues, there will be plenty of places to train and play from.

This is besides county stadiums being put up in areas like Mombasa, Kisumu, Thika among others.

Meanwhile, the other winners are companies that have been contracted to work on the major AFCON 2027 projects.

With pressure to finish on time, the government, which likes to drag its feet when it comes to payments, will be compelled to pay on time as they do not want delays that would lead to bad press during an election year.

Another group that is not visible but secretly smiling after Motsepe’s announcement on Friday is the much-maligned ‘tenderpreneurs.’

In Kenya, several people have become overnight millionaires or billionaires when there are major tournaments or events by using their political connections, nepotism and bribery to secure lucrative government tenders.

These individuals profit from corruption rather than genuine innovation or service delivery, frequently resulting in inflated costs and shoddy work and at AFCON 2027, there will be many.

For this lot, it is time to eat.