Basketballghana.com can confirm Nigeria won’t represent Africa in the upcoming FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup after the D’Tigress was officially replaced with Mali.
This is down to Nigeria President Muhhamadu Buhari approving an official withdrawal of Nigeria from all international basketball competitions for two years. FIBA-basketball’s world governing body- has since decided to pick 2021 AfroBasket Women’s Silver Medallist Mali as the continent’s representative.
It was reported earlier in May, the aforementioned option had been tabled as a way to find a major solution to the leadership crisis at the Nigeria Basketball Federation [NBBF].
Despite a FIBA intervention during the election process that had Incumbent Musa Kida retain his seat, further issues lingering from the long running fallout between Kida and Tijanni Umar has made the situation unworkable.
Nigeria won the Women’s AfroBasket for the third time in a row last year and competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Prior to the announcement, Nigeria’s Women’s Basketball team went on strike over unpaid bonuses from the AfroBasket and Olympics appearances.
The team won’t compete in Australia during the World Cup that runs from September 22 to October 1 this year.
By Yaw Adjei-Mintah
YawMintYM on Twitter
