Ghana will struggle to accommodate visiting fans

The eyes of the football world are turning increasingly to Ghana as the countdown continues to the 2008 African Cup of Nations finals.

But as the big kick off fast approaches, the race is on for the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to come up with viable accommodation options in two host cities, Sekondi-Takoradi and Tamale.

Sekondi-Takoradi will stage Group B matches involving Nigeria, Benin, Mali and the Ivory Coast.

Senegal, South Africa, Angola and Tunisia will be based in Tamale as they try to fight their way out of Group D.

But unlike Accra and Kumasi - the two biggest cities in Ghana - getting quality accommodation in Sekondi-Takoradi and Tamale is a challenge at the best of times.

So, when the Nations Cup comes around, demand will exceed supply by a considerable margin and the scrum for accommodation promises to be every bit as intense as the action on the pitch.

And having just come back from a week-long visit to Ghana, I can confidently predict that football tourists will find hotel rooms hard to come by and very expensive, if available at all.

The LOC has accommodation deals in place with most star-rated hotels in the country (including those still being built), but these will cater for teams, officials and sponsors.

Major hotel companies are scrambling to get new hotels open in time for the Nations Cup, but these properties are being built almost exclusively in the capital, Accra.

But as Accra strives to put on its best face, Sekondi-Takoradi and Tamale are facing up to the reality that they do not have sufficient accommodation for their guests.

Ideally, teams would prefer to be housed within striking distance of the stadiums but so grave is the accommodation crisis that two of the teams in Group B, thought to be Benin and Mali, will be forced to stay outside the city.

Thousands of fans are expected to pour into Sekondi-Takoradi for the tournament, especially from neighbouring Ivory Coast, but most are going to find themselves without a roof over their heads.

Although Ghana has pledged a memorable tournament, it is difficult to see how organisers can alleviate the acute accommodation crisis in Sekondi-Takoradi and Tamale.

The chief executive officer of Sekondi-Takoradi, Phillip Kwesi Nkrumah, told BBC Sport that a number of initiatives were being investigated to help ease the crisis, including setting up camp sites.

Nkrumah said: "We have arranged accommodation for the teams but the greatest challenge is to find somewhere to stay for the fans, especially the fans coming from the Ivory Coast."

A worried Nkrumah added that the accommodation crisis is so critical that local schools and hostels may have to be used provide emergency centres of shelter for visitors.