Botswana Football Association President Tariq Babitseng was elected to lead COSAFA over the next four years and has big ambitions for the region. He shared his vision for the next cycle under his watch and believes there is much that can be done to take football forward in Southern Africa.
What is your vision for COSAFA under your leadership?
Tariq Babitseng: First of all, we need to unite COSAFA as leaders and as a region. We receive funding from FIFA and CAF for football development, and we must make sure that money is used effectively.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
One of the areas we need to improve is our flagship senior national team tournament, which in recent years has not attracted the level of partners or commercial interest we expected.
In the past, there was strong demand from partners and the tournament moved around Southern Africa. Recently, many countries have used it mainly as a development platform, which has reduced its value. Our intention is to resuscitate the competition, align it with the FIFA calendar and ensure that players based abroad are available so that we can increase the value of the tournament and attract sponsors again.
On development, we have realised that not all member associations are fully participating in youth structures for boys and girls. We want every country to prioritise development so that, as a region, we become consistently competitive in Africa and beyond.
For the first time, most members of the COSAFA executive are presidents of their football associations. That means decisions taken at COSAFA level are made by people who can implement them directly in their own countries.
We are the biggest zone in Africa with 14 members and we need one voice, stronger development and greater influence on the continent and globally."
Four COSAFA nations have submitted a bid to host the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2028 ...
Yes, a joint bid has been submitted by Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe to host TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2028 in Southern Africa.
We submitted it on time after CAF encouraged the regions to host competitions and ensure wider continental representation.
The intention is for different countries to host parts of the tournament. Zimbabwe, for example, could host a group, Botswana may host a group or even a semifinal, Namibia could host matches, while South Africa would carry the larger portion.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
We already have transport routes and infrastructure, and Southern Africa is capable of hosting a tournament of that scale.
How important is women's football to COSAFA's future plans?
Women's football is absolutely key because it is a low-hanging fruit for all nations. FIFA has allocated over USD 1.8 billion globally to support women's football, and Africa has a huge opportunity to benefit because many other regions already have strong infrastructure in place.
We only have 11 COSAFA nations currently playing women's football consistently, so we need to bring the others on board. The money is there and we will support countries to start programmes. We have seen Southern Africa produce some of the best women players in the world, and there is no reason we cannot dominate globally.
We want constant improvement. That progress must continue across the region.
