Minister Of Sports, John Owan Enoh
Sports minister in Egypt to bid AFCON 2027 hosting. The Minister of Sports Development Senator John Owan Enoh arrived in Egypt Tuesday with representatives of the Nigeria Football Federation to bid to host AFCON in 2027.
According to Punch Online, President Bola Tinubu appointed the Cross River State-born lawmaker as Minister of Sports Development on August 16.
In a post via Enoh’s official X account on Tuesday, he wrote, “With representatives of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), I have arrived in Cairo, Egypt. We are here to attend the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee meeting, as representatives of the Nigerian Government.
Stating further the reason for his arrival in Egypt, he wrote, “Our attendance is because Nigeria and the Benin Republic submitted a joint bid to host AFCON in 2027. Other Governments and Member Associations bidding to host AFCON in 2027 will also be in attendance.
“Prior to this meeting, all countries bidding to host this tournament were visited by the Independent Assessment Committees of CAF to assess the state of their readiness to host this continental tournament.
“As part of the assessment process, each bidding country is expected to make a 10-minute presentation and will be granted another 15 minutes to respond to questions that may arise.
“Following that, a comprehensive report would be submitted for review and discussion by the CAF Executive.” The meeting is slated for Wednesday, 27th September 2023. We look forward to a positive outcome for the Nigeria-Benin Republic joint bid,” he stated.
Nigeria’s sole AFCON hosting came in 1980, when Christian Chukwu led the squad to victory in front of a raucous home crowd that included former President Shehu Shagari.
Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions won the championship at the National Stadium in Lagos, ending the dual hosting with Ghana.