Nigeria have withdrawn from the upcoming Women’s Basketball World Cup, FIBA have announced.
Mali will now replace Nigeria in view of its position as the next ranked team from Group B of the qualifiers.
Nigeria had qualified for the global event at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament held at Belgrade, Serbia in February.
The fiasco all began in May when Nigeria’s Federal Government said it was withdrawing Nigerian teams from international competitions for a period of two years.
Media outlets in Nigeria are reporting that this was as a result of the protracted leadership crisis in the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).
“In spite of FIBA’s request, it has become clear that against the circumstances created by the government’s decision, the NBBF is unable to confirm its participation in the World Cup,” a statement from FIBA said.
“Given the multiple strict deadlines that cannot be postponed in order to ensure the successful staging of a major international event.
“These are all in relation to visa procedures, schedules, ticket sales, accommodations, friendly games, preliminary rosters, flight tickets, accreditations, etc.
“In order to also protect the integrity of the competition, the FIBA Executive Committee has decided in this regard.”
FIBA added that it would announce whether there would be any other decisions related to NBBF’s participation in other international competitions and any potential disciplinary measures.
The World Cup is scheduled for Australia from September 22 to October 1.
Photo: FIBA
