FIBA has invited the Mali basketball team to replace Nigeria after they were informed of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s intention to withdraw the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) from all international basketball contests and activities for a two-year term.
D’Tigress had qualified for the World Cup, which is scheduled to begin in September 2022 in Sydney, Australia, after defeating France and Mali in Group B of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade.
The decision follows discussions with the Nigeria Basketball Federation to see how the decision may be reversed to allow the defending African champions to represent the continent.
FIBA in a release further explained the reason for their decision.
“Given the numerous strict deadlines that cannot be pushed back in order to ensure the successful staging of a major international event (visa procedures, schedules, ticket sales, accommodations, friendly games, preliminary rosters, flight tickets, accreditations, etc.), the FIBA Executive Committee has decided Nigeria’s withdrawal from the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 is confirmed.
“In due course, FIBA will declare whether there will be any further decisions regarding the NBBF’s participation in additional FIBA events, as well as any potential disciplinary penalties.”
