Nigeria’s senior male basketball team, D’Tigers, has withdrawn from the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket qualifiers window, which was set to begin on Friday in Tunisia, MySportDab reports.
The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) confirmed the withdrawal, citing the inability of the Ministry of Sports to provide the necessary funds for the qualifiers.
The news comes as a disappointment to fans and players alike, who were eagerly awaiting their flight tickets to Tunisia.
The NBBF statement highlighted the perennial lack of funds as a significant challenge in preparing the national teams for major continental and global championships.
The financial burdens of ensuring national teams’ participation in these tournaments have been personally taken up by the President of NBBF, Engr. Musa Kida. Despite his efforts, the ministry of sports has been unable to come up with the needed funds, citing a lack of adequate funds to prosecute several other national engagements, including the forthcoming African Games holding in Accra, Ghana in March.
The board of NBBF has appealed 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.
It promised to redouble its efforts and commitments to the continued growth of the game in Nigeria.
This withdrawal is a significant setback for D’Tigers, who were paired in Group B alongside Cape Verde, Uganda, and Libya for the qualifiers.
The team, which had previously crashed out of the Paris Olympics and the World Cup, now faces an uncertain future in the sport. The basketball community will be keenly watching how this situation unfolds and its impact on the future of basketball in Nigeria.
