Nigeria men’s basketball team, D’Tigers have forfeited their participation in the 2025 AfroBasket qualifiers due to lack of funds from the government.
D’Tigers were scheduled to begin their quest for qualification against Libya, Uganda and Cape Verde from February 23-25 in Tunisia.
A brief statement from the Nigeria Basketball Federation confirmed that players who represented the country at the 2020 Olympic Games were ready to stage a return to the national team before the abrupt withdrawal.
D’Tigers last international outing was on home soil in Lagos back in August 2023 when they failed to win a game in the pre-Olympics qualifying tournament.
The statement read: “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 burden of ensuring national teams participate in these tournaments have been personally taken up by the President of NBBF, Engr. Musa Kida.
“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 have not been able to come up with needed funds, citing lack of adequate funds to prosecute several other national engagements, including the forthcoming All Africa 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.”
At the FIBA AfroCan in Angola last year, Nigeria finished as the eighth-best team and in the last edition of the AfroBasket (2021) in Rwanda, the 2015 AfroBasket champions could not go beyond the round of 16.
Despite several 2020 Olympians committing, D’Tigers will forfeit this AfroBasket Qualifers window due to lack of funds from government. pic.twitter.com/O5hZFX2b8V
— D’Tigers | Nigeria Basketball (@NigeriaBasket) February 21, 2024
16 countries will qualify for the 2025 AfroBasket that will take place sometime in 2025, with a host country yet to be announced by FIBA Africa.
Recall that Nigeria women’s team, D’Tigress are the reigning champions of the Women’s AfroBasket after winning the title four times in a row and they are through to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
