BEVERLY HILLS, October 29, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has committed itself to the country’s qualification for the 2021 FIBA Afrobasket Men’s Tournament saying qualification is non-negotiable.
The Federation made this abundantly clear to the senior national basketball team on Tuesday as different countries prepare for the next 2021 FIBA Afrobasket qualifiers window in Rwanda and Egypt after the first window concluded in February.
With the gradual easing of sporting restrictions and return of international basketball after COVID-19 disruptions, the NBBF is aiming for a successful AFROBASKET qualifiers campaign.
Musa Kida, NBBF President, noted that preparations are ongoing in earnest to ensure that the 2020 Olympics bound D’Tigers to qualify for their 28th Afrobasket tournament.
“We are not unaware of the huge task before us to ensure another seamless qualification for Afrobasket. We know that millions of Nigerians are expecting us to qualify without drama and that is exactly what we are working towards,” Kida said.
The President hammered on the need for an early training camp and immediate preparations to adequately get the team in shape.
“No more minnows in African basketball. All the teams in our group deserve to be there and they deserve our respect. We need to prepare early and adequately to live up to pre-tournament ratings by pundits.
“We cannot afford to let our fans down. They are already looking beyond the qualification series between 27th-29th, November and 19th-21st, February 2021.”
Nigeria’s D’Tigers are currently ranked 26th in the world and 1st in Africa. The team is in Group D alongside hosts, Rwanda with Mali and Algeria making up the rest of the group.
Hostilities will begin when D’Tigers meet Algeria on Friday, November 27 before taking on the hosts the day after.
D’Tigers will conclude their first round of qualification campaign against West African opposition, Mali on Sunday.
The top three teams in each group will qualify for the 2021 FIBA Afrobasket tournament taking place in Kigali, Rwanda between 24th of August to 5th of September.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
