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D’Tigers AfroBasket crisis: B’ball players lament unfair treatment

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Basketball players have lamented the controversy surrounding D’Tigers’ trip to Tunisia for the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket qualifiers window, saying it’s a reflection of how they’ve been poorly treated by the Nigeria Basketball Federation.

There was anxiety among basketball stakeholders on Wednesday after the NBBF announced that former African champions D’Tigers had been withdrawn from the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket qualifiers, which begins today in Tunisia.

According to a release by the NBBF, the withdrawal from the qualifiers was due to the inability of the Ministry of Sports to provide the federation with the needed funds for the trip.

A few hours later, the federation again said it was making last-minute attempts for D’Tigers to participate in the tournament.

“The federation is aiming to finalise a roster and gather funds in time to play AfroBasket qualifiers,” a post read on the D’Tigers X handle.

The PUNCH has, however, gathered that the team arrived in Tunisia Thursday ahead of the qualifiers.

Some basketball players, who spoke with The PUNCH , said they weren’t surprised by the NBBF’s statement, adding that they had been unfairly treated over the years.

Former First Bank player, Theresa Dangosu, said, “At this point in time, there’s nothing to be shocked about when it concerns basketball because of the type of leadership we have in the NBBF, and we can also extend it to the country as a whole.

“The main focus has always been placed on football, as though there aren’t other sports in Nigeria.

“Our women D’Tigress won their fourth consecutive AfroBasket, there weren’t any encomiums from the government to them, they just qualified for the Olympics, and still everyone is silent.

“Even with how badly everyone said the Super Eagles performed at the AFCON and came second against hosts, Ivory Coast, they still got welcomed, celebrated and given honours, awards, lands and money.”

She added, “I think we all know where the priorities of the Nigerian government lie when it comes to sports.

“And can you blame the government? No, because we have a failed system in the NBBF, people who cannot go to the government with the needs of the federation because of how much they’ve abused those privileges in the past. This is a clear case of incompetence because what does an incompetent body do? Blame everyone every time for their failures, nothing is ever their fault.

“This is where we are in the affairs of governance with the NBBF and the country as a whole, so nothing surprises me again.”

Marilyn Ogoigbe, who plays for First Bank basketball club, said NBBF officials cared less about the players.

She said, “About this, I’m not surprised at all, I mean the people in charge don’t care about players, they are all about themselves.

“A tournament they ought to have prepared for and they decided to withdraw days before jump ball because of lack of funds. What’s the ministry doing about it? I mean they were able to sponsor the Super Eagles to AFCON, why is basketball always different?”

Former Rivers Hoopers star Austin Akpejiori, who now features for Tunisian side Union Sportive El Ansa, said he was left embarrassed after the NBBF announced they had withdrawn D’Tigers form the tournament.

“Truth is I wasn’t shocked, I was embarrassed. How low can we get as a basketball community? The federation keeps staining our white.”

It is not the first time that paucity of funds has threatened D’Tigers’ participation in a major basketball tournament.

In 2019, the team nearly missed out on featuring in the 2019 FIBA World Cup until a late intervention by the then Muhammadu Buhari-led government.

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Morgan slams ‘disgraceful’ Tottenham ‘idiots’ after Arsenal blow

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Television broadcaster and Arsenal supporter Piers Morgan has branded any Tottenham fan celebrating their 2-0 loss to Manchester City last

Television broadcaster and Arsenal supporter Piers Morgan has branded any Tottenham fan celebrating their 2-0 loss to Manchester City last night as ‘disgraceful idiots’ in a fierce rant.

In what was such a pivotal game for the title race, Spurs dealt their bitter rivals Arsenal a brutal blow as they handed Man City the top spot in the league table thanks to Erling Haaland’s second-half brace alongside Heung-min Son’s late missed chance that could’ve levelled the scoreline with just five minutes left.

Ange Postecoglou’s side could’ve still mathematically finished in the top four before last night’s clash, with them needing to overturn a five-point deficit to Aston Villa, but the result meant that Spurs were left in a position where they can now finish outside the top five on the final day of the season.

Even after the full-time whistle, supporters noticed a playful conversation between Pep Guardiola and Tottenham centre-back Cristian Romero, with the Man City boss finishing it off by playfully punching the Argentinian in the chest with a smile – a stark contrast to the post-match press conference of Postecoglou who appeared incensed on the touchline at a fan celebrating his side’s loss.

With emotions running high for all three teams, it was Morgan who summarised what many Arsenal fans have been claiming in the days leading up to the match, which saw Tottenham fans asking the club on social media to lose in order to derail Mikel Arteta’s side’s attempt at lifting their first Premier League trophy in over 20 years.

One of those fans was former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara, who took to watching the match in a Manchester City shirt during a live watch along on talkSPORT, in which he was also seen doing the poznan and singing Blue Moon.

Speaking to Ally McCoist and Alan Brazil on TalkSPORT’s Breakfast show the following morning, Morgan fumed: “Morning chaps. I’ll tell you what I can say [about the match], Jamie O’Hara and all the other little Spurs fans who were actually celebrating their team losing are possibly the most disgraceful bunch of tiny-club-mentality idiots I think world football has ever seen!

“I mean honestly, they were dancing around in celebration as Man City scored against them. O’Hara is wearing a City shirt and jumping around because it’s the closest thing they’ll ever get to winning anything in their tiny, godforsaken lives.

“It’s got to be the most embarrassing, humiliating, self-harming act of treachery I’ve ever seen and I really feel sorry [for them], because I’ve woken up this morning knowing how it feels to be a Spurs fan for a night and it’s horrible. I’ve woken up with a massive headache, I got hardly any sleep, I drank too much and I felt a sense of self-loathing which only disappeared when I remembered I was an Arsenal fan.

“Just to remind everyone, O’Hara was in the Arsenal academy before we got rid of him and sent him to Tottenham, that just shows his mentality. I do feel sorry for Ange Postecoglou because he’s an Australian, he doesn’t understand what it means to want to lose something in sport because losing is alien to them. Postecoglou has literally had to turn around in a massive game for them which could’ve helped them to qualify for the Champions League but no, there was a Tottenham fan behind him chanting throughout the game for him to throw the match.

“Postecoglou, because he’s a winner, turned around and had a go at him. What a moment for Tottenham fans, I mean, how can any of them live with themselves after watching that scene go down last night? They had a chance to try and make top four, they were the better team for 70 percent of that match against City but Son missed an absolute sitter and Arsenal aren’t heading for the Premier League on Sunday. I’m annoyed, I’m annoyed but I’m also ashamed, even more so than usual, of Spurs fans.”

 

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First Women’s Club World Cup to take place in 2026

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The inaugural Women’s Club World Cup will take place in January and February 2026, Fifa has confirmed. The 16-team tournament will be held

The inaugural Women’s Club World Cup will take place in January and February 2026, Fifa has confirmed.

The 16-team tournament will be held every four years and fall during the domestic season for European leagues, between the Women’s Champions League group stages and the knockout rounds.

The USA’s National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season usually begins in March.

Fifa announced its intention to create a global women’s club competition in December 2022 and a Fifa congress confirmed the plans on Wednesday in Bangkok.

Barcelona are the current European champions, NY Gotham FC the reigning NWSL champions and Brazilian side Corinthians are the holders of the Copa Libertadores Femenina.

The Fifa congress also approved a new international match calendar from 2026-29 with the aim of providing players with more opportunities for rest and recovery by reducing the number of international breaks from six to five.

“The women’s international match calendar and the subsequent amendments to our regulations represent an important milestone in our pledge to take the women’s game to the next level by enhancing competitiveness across the world,” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino.

The first edition of the expanded men’s Club World Cup tournament – which will also be staged every four years – is scheduled for next summer.

The Fifa congress is also set to vote for the host of the 2027 Women’s World Cup with Brazil up against a joint bid from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.

 

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Danladi Bako hails NFF on choice of Finidi George as Super Eagles Coach

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Nigerian broadcasting icon, Dr. Nasir Danladi Bako has praised the Nigeria Football Federation for settling for former international

Nigerian broadcasting icon, Dr. Nasir Danladi Bako has praised the Nigeria Football Federation for settling for former international and ex-Enyimba FC strategist Finidi George as Head Coach of the Super Eagles.

The Kogunan Sakwatto, 66, who created a plethora of famous TV programmes including Morning Ride, Mastersports and Second Chance, among others, and served as Special Adviser to a number of Sports Ministers many years ago, insisted the NFF leadership struck a bull’s eye with the appointment of the two-time FIFA World Cup star, stating that George oozes class and character, and an iron determination to succeed despite his public carapace of a quiet person.

“Finidi George has that cultured, disciplined mien and personality that makes you want to trust him with a big project. He understands the meaning of constituted authority and right from his playing days, has always displayed the attribute of a team player. He has always had that calm, collected nature even in the face of pressure or danger.

“Above all, he is not someone who thinks he is doing the nation a favour. He is grateful for the opportunity and I believe that he has all it takes to succeed. I am calling on the Federal Ministry of Sports Development, the NFF and Nigerians as a whole to support him to take the Super Eagles to brand-new heights.”

Bako, who holds a doctorate degree in development communication from the Ahmadu Bello University and was Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission between 1999 and 2002, says all hands must now be on deck to ensure victories in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic on 7 June and 11 June respectively.

“No doubt, the NFF got this one appointment right. Very much on point. Now, they should endeavour to give George all the support he needs to succeed in his task of qualifying Nigeria for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”

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