Cash-strapped NBBF withdraws D’Tigers from AfroBasket qualifiers News

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Cash-strapped NBBF withdraws D’Tigers from AfroBasket qualifiers

By Daily Sports Nigeria on February 22, 2024

Nigeria’s senior male basketball team, D’Tigers, have withdrawn from the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket qualifiers window, which begin Friday in Tunisia, The PUNCH reports.

According to a release by the Nigeria Basketball Federation, the withdrawal of the men’s basketball team from the qualifiers was due to the inability of the Ministry of Sports to provide the federation with the needed funds for the qualifiers.

The PUNCH’s sister publication PUNCH Sports Extra had on Tuesday reported that invited players were still awaiting their flight tickets to Tunisia.

However, the federation on Wednesday confirmed that the team had been withdrawn from the AfroBasket qualifiers window due to lack of funds.

“In recent times, the female and male national basketball teams have not had the best in preparations for major continental and global championships, due to the perennial lack of funds. However, the financial burdens of ensuring national teams participate in these tournaments have been personally taken up by the President of NBBF, Engr. Musa Kida,” the statement read.

“While Kida, who is yet to be refunded the billions of naira he has spent, the participation of the various national teams is unable to raise more funds for the latest national assignment, the ministry of sports has not been able to come up with needed funds, citing lack of adequate funds to prosecute several other national engagements, including the forthcoming African Games holding in Accra, Ghana in March.

“The board of NBBF appeals to the ever-growing fans and lovers of the game in Nigeria and diaspora to understand the dire situation it found itself in view of the economic challenges faced by the country, even as it promised to redouble its efforts and commitments to the continued growth of the game in Nigeria.”

Egypt and Tunisia have been chosen as the hosts of the inaugural phase of the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket qualifiers slated for February 23 to 25.

Tunisia will host the inaugural games for Groups B and E, while Egypt is set to stage the games of Group D.

D’Tigers, who crashed out of the Paris Olympics and the World Cup, were paired in Group B alongside Cape Verde, Uganda and Libya, who shocked Morocco in the decisive Game 2 of the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket Zone 1 Pre-Qualifiers on Tuesday in Monastir, Tunisia.

Source Punch Ng

Posted February 22, 2024