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The Nigerian under-18 basketball team will not be participating in the 2024 FIBA U18 Afrobasket tournament in Cape Town, as South Africa has declined to issue them visas. This decision means the team will miss out on a valuable opportunity to compete against other top teams from across Africa.
Ugo Udezue, Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Basketball Federation, released a statement on Tuesday confirming the unfortunate news that South Africa has denied visas to the national under-18 basketball team.
According to reports, the South African Consulate in Abuja was unable to grant visas to the male players on Nigeria’s under-18 basketball team, effectively dashing their hopes of competing in the tournament.
Ugo Udezue, visibly frustrated by the lack of clarity, condemned the visa denial as a deliberate act of sabotage, implying that the South African Consulate’s decision was more than just a mere bureaucratic hitch.
The visa denial has thrown Nigeria’s involvement in the tournament into uncertainty, with the team’s opening match against Egypt scheduled for today, casting a shadow over their ability to take part.
The players, who had been training in Abuja after returning from Abidjan, are devastated as their chance to compete in the FIBA World Championship fades.
Udezue said, “First of all, it’s rather unfortunate that an African country needs a visa to travel to another African country. Secondly, this is against the spirit of sportsmanship. These kids have sacrificed too much for a visa consular officer to deny them the opportunity to represent Nigeria globally.”
The girls’ team has been spared the visa woes, with the South African Embassy in Lagos approving their applications, and they are now in Pretoria, ready to face Egypt, a contrast to the challenges faced by their male counterparts.
Having already proven their mettle by winning the FIBA Africa Zone 3 qualifiers in Ivory Coast, both teams were poised to take on the best in the continent, but the visa issue has now put the boys’ team’s participation in jeopardy.
In an attempt to salvage the situation, the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) has filed formal complaints with FIBA Africa, the South African organizers, and Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, but so far, these efforts have yielded no tangible results.
