Nigeria’s senior basketball side, D’Tigers, pushing for a place at the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Angola, could face serious disruption after reports they are at risk of being removed from their accommodation and barred from the qualifying tournament.
The D’Tigers opened their campaign in Angola with a hard-fought 84-81 win over Tunisia on Thursday.
However, a FIBA contact said Nigeria has not yet completed payment for its hotel arrangements and participation entitlements.
“The team looks in good shape, but I’m not sure whether their involvement will be affected by what’s happening on the ground. Nigeria hasn’t paid for anything here, even though we understand government representatives may be in Luanda on Friday. I hope they are not forced out of their residence or prevented from taking part in the competition,” a FIBA official said on Friday.
The National Sports Commission is responsible for providing funding for Nigeria’s World Cup and Olympic matches. The Tigers are currently in Luanda seeking qualification for the 2027 World Cup, which is scheduled to be staged in Qatar.
Extrasportnigeria.com reported that the National Sports Commission has still not settled the team’s participation fee or its hotel bill. It was also understood that the players’ travel documents had not been fully paid for.
No confirmation was obtained from the Nigeria Basketball Federation’s secretary. Efforts to reach the chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko, were also unsuccessful, with no answer to phone calls and no reply to messages sent to his verified number regarding the matter.
To keep their hopes alive for Qatar, D’Tigers must win all three of their remaining matches, after they managed just one victory from their opening trio of games in the first window. A comparable funding challenge previously compelled the team to reach the last competition at the last minute before the start of play.
