D’Tigers, who have already crashed out of the Paris Olympics and the World Cup, were paired in Group B alongside Cape Verde, Uganda and Libya. Following a disorderly build-up to Window 1 of the qualifiers in Tunisia, D’Tigers lost all three games.
The 2015 African champions had initially withdrawn from the AfroBasket qualifiers window due to the inability of the sports ministry to provide the federation with the needed funds for the qualifiers but a late intervention from the ministry meant the team arrived in Tunisia on the opening day of the qualifiers and took to the court without much rest.
The poor outing has caused basketball fans to take a swipe at the ministry and the NBBF.
An X user, el_cherony said, “Typical Nigerian behaviour, expecting miracles all the time. D’Tigers have been without a coach since the Olympics. The NBBF and the Ministry of Sports have shown gross incompetence. The team got to Tunis the same day as their opening game with only nine ballers.
“Ever since the day (Sunday} Dare interfered with the federation., our basketball hasn’t remained the same. This is truly sad, but then, one would want to ask, what part of Nigeria is even working at the moment?”
Lamenting the poor preparation for the qualifiers, Eme wrote, “A shambolic preparation has led to shambolic results for our team. Ideally someone should either be sacked or honourably resign for how things played out.”
Bruno Tesoro added, “Those that were cheering the government for intervening at the last minute, I hope you all are happy with these results. Back to square one again, they won’t fund these boys again until they call them out again on sports minister and then another last minute intervention. Same story all over again.”
Angered by the defeats, Edozie Akunyili believe D’Tigers should have forfeited the tournament rather than suffer the embarrassment.
He wrote, “They should have stayed forfeited. What is the point of taking a test when you did not study?”
“We are tired of this pathetic attitude from the basketball leadership,” Arome Sule lamented.
Despite the results, D’Tigers still have a chance to qualify for the AfroBasket. The top three teams from their group will advance, and there’s still one more qualifying window in February 2025.
Tags
Sport