Sports
‘NBBF Not Doing Enough For Basketballers’
Players at the Zenith Bank Female Basketball League finals in Lagos have urged the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) to attach more importance to their welfare.
Some of the players in separate interviews said that the federation should carry out an upward review of their allowances to boost their morale.
Chika Ogboke of Sunshine Angels of Akure complained that the allowances’ being paid to them by the NBBF was not commensurate to the amount of work the players put in.
She called on the federation to package its programme in a manner that would entice viable investors to boost the profile of the game in the country.
“If only the federation would take the necessary steps to repackage the sport, basketball would be more attractive to investors.
“The reorganisation must start with player’s welfare because they are the ones doing the hardwork,” she said.
Queen Nwaigwu of FCT Angels attributed the three successive defeats the team had suffered to lack of funds.
“We could not make it to the competition early enough because of money and had to pay the price,” Nwaigwu said.
She added that if the NBBF had been up and doing, teams would not suffer from undue logistical inadequacies.
Nwaigwu stressed the need for adequate compensation for players plying their trade in the league in order to reduce the recurring incidence of players travelling out of the country to seek greener pastures.
Reacting in a similar manner, Helen Akindele of AHIP Queens of Kano complained that the NBBF was not doing enough for clubs in the league.
Akindele said that the reason why the likes of Angola and Senegal remain the leading basketball countries in Africa was because they invested so much in their players and coaches.
“And to whom much is given much is expected as a result their players would not have any cause to complain,” Akindele said.
Bolum Ogoh of Delta Force of Asaba also said the federation should rebrand the league so that teams could reap the attendant benefits.
“I can’t wait to see our story changing, where a basketball player could boast of N50, 000 match allowances.
“With such an incentive in place, those who still want to improve on their education could still go back to school,” she said.
The Kenya Football Federation (FKF) has launched an investigation into allegations that goalkeeper Patrick Matasi has been involved in match manipulation.
The 37-year-old, who plays for Kenyan Premier League club Kakamega Homeboyz, has won over 30 international caps.
His most recent appearance for the Harambee Stars came in October last year, in a qualifier for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
An undated video posted online appears to show Matasi agreeing a deal to influence the outcome of a league game.
“I have spoken to him. He was also shocked at what he was seeing in the video and he told me he doesn’t know about match-fixing,” Homeboyz owner Cleophas Shimanyula told Tidesports source .
The FKF said it would work with world governing body Fifa, the Confederation of African Football and other “relevant authorities” during its investigation.
“We reaffirm our zero-tolerance policy on match manipulation and are committed to safeguarding the credibility of our competitions,” a statement added.
“This investigation will adhere to FKF’s anti-match manipulation regulations and Fifa guidelines, ensuring a fair, transparent, and thorough process.
“The rights of the player and his club will be respected, and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings.”
Shimanyula backed Matasi, pointing to the fact the veteran has kept three clean sheets in as many games since joining the club a month ago.
“When we watched this video, we found that Matasi has not wronged the club,” he said.
“In a video there can misinterpretations and false narratives and we cannot trust everything.
“He will keep playing for us because there’s no wrongdoing on his part as far as we are concerned – unless there’s evidence or the FKF writes to us to say they are suspecting the player of some wrongdoing.
“He is innocent until proven guilty and then we will act.”
The FKF has called on anyone with credible information to assist its investigation, with any reports to be handled with strict confidentiality.
Shimanyula also challenged the Kenyan footballing community to provide evidence against Matasi.
“Kakamega Homeboyz is against any form of match manipulation,” he said.
Uefa has opened an investigation into allegations of indecent conduct by four Real Madrid players during their Champions League last-16 win against Atletico Madrid.
Antonio Rudiger, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Dani Ceballos allegedly made gestures towards the home fans after Real Madrid beat their city rivals on penalties to book their place in the quarter-finals.
TV pictures showed German defender Rudiger appearing to make a throat-slitting motion, apparently towards the crowd after the shootout victory, while Mbappe was shown seemingly making a crotch-grabbing gesture.
Spanish media said Atletico reported the actions to Uefa last week.
The players could be at risk of suspension but there is no guarantee the case will be heard before their quarter-final with Arsenal. The first leg for that tie is at Emirates Stadium on 8 April and the return leg a week later.
In a statement, Uefa said: “[An] ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to investigate allegations of indecent conduct” made by the four Real Madrid players.
“Further information regarding this matter will be made available in due course.”
The Premier League has announced it will have two transfer windows this summer to allow Manchester City and Chelsea to sign players before the Club World Cup.
The window will open between Sunday, 1 June and Tuesday, 10 June, then close for five days before running again from Monday, 16 June until Monday, 1 September.
This summer features the first expanded Fifa Club World Cup, which involves 32 teams and adopts the format of the regular World Cup of the past few years.
Chelsea and Manchester City are the Premier League teams in the tournament which takes place in the United States from Sunday, 15 June.
But the Premier League can only have 12 weeks of a summer window – hence the five-day break in order to run it until 1 September.
Fifa has allowed new players to be registered for the Club World Cup from 1-10 June, and again from 27 June-3 July for the knockout stage.
This is happening firstly, to bring order to the global registration system, world governing body Fifa only permits the transfer window in any individual country to be open for 16 weeks in any calendar year.
In Europe, precedent dictates four of those weeks are for the winter window, leaving 12 in the summer. In 2024, the Premier League transfer window opened on 14 June and closed on 30 August.