The world Basketball Governing Body, FIBA, has warned penalty in response to Nigeria’s decision to withdraw from international events for two years.
This was stated in a letter dated May 18, 2022, from Jaime Lamboy, FIBA’s Head of Legal, to factional Nigeria Basketball Federation President Musa Ahmadu-Kida.
Following a lingering leadership schism in the NBBF, Sunday Dare announced last week that President Muhammadu Buhari had given approval to withdraw Nigeria from all international basketball competitions for two years, effective immediately, through the Permanent Secretary of the Sports Ministry, Ismaila Abubakar.
The minister continued by saying that the withdrawal would help the country reinvigorate basketball from the ground up and end the basketball problem.
FIBA, on the other side, warned that the withdrawal could lead to sanctions, citing Article 9.7 of the FIBA General Statutes, which states that “National member federations shall handle their business independently and without 3rd interference.”
FIBA also responded to a letter from the Ahmadu-Kida-led NBBF board to them.
“In such letter, you preemptively informed FIBA of the apparent decision by the Nigerian Government (Federal Ministry of Youth & Sports Development) to have Nigeria take a two-year hiatus from all international engagements, allowing an Interim Management Committee to run the affairs of basketball in Nigeria,” the letter states.
“As you are aware, Nigeria will compete in the following FIBA events in the future months: FIBA 2023 Basketball World Cup Qualifiers (FBWC23 Qualifiers) FIBA 2022 Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifiers (FWBWC22).
“As you are aware, any withdrawal of Nigeria from the above-mentioned competitions could result in disciplinary action under the FIBA Internal Regulations.” Nevertheless, if Nigeria’s absence from international contests for the next two years becomes a reality, the ramifications could last much longer.
“For example, please keep in mind that withdrawing from the FBWC23 Qualifiers also means withdrawing from the Olympic qualification process in Paris in 2024. Similarly, depending on third-party outcomes, FIBA AfroBasket 2025 could face the same problem.”
“As a result, we request that the NBBF notify FIBA promptly whether or not its participation in the above-mentioned competitions has been ratified.”
“We take this occasion to remind the NBBF of its responsibility under Article 9.6 of the FIBA General Statutes to manage its affairs independently of outside parties.”
