Revealed: Morocco Replaces Nigeria As BAL Competition Commences Today

  Revealed: Morocco Replaces Nigeria As BAL Competition Commences Today By Niyi Busari The Basketball African League (BAL) second season began today Saturday March 5, 2022 in Dakar, Senegal without the Nigeria representative, Rivers Hoopers, BSNSports.com.ng can reveal.   The maiden edition held in 2021 in Bamako, Mali had Rivers Hoopers participating but Nigeria was banned in the second edition of the competition.   FIBA picked AS Sale, Morocco champions in 2020-21 Division Excellence to replace the Nigeria 2021 champions, Rivers Hoopers.   On January 14, 2022 FIBA decided to exclude Nigeria champions Rivers Hoopers stating that the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) failed to organize national championship. The world basketball ruling body in a letter dated January 14, 2022, signed by the Secretary General, Alphonse Bile and addressed to the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Engr. Ahmadu Musa Kida stated that Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers cannot participate in this year’s Final Round. Reason for FIBA Africa’s sanction according to a document available to BSN Sports is that Nigeria did not conclude its League.   The Super 8 basketball league held in Abuja in November 2021 that produced Rivers Hoopers as champions was organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development following leadership tussle in the Federation.   However, the 2022 edition include 12 club basketball teams from 12 African countries that will be played in Dakar Senegal and Cairo, Egypt. The BAL season will also expand to a total of 38 games with 15 games in Dakar from March 5-15 and another 15 games in Cairo from April 9-19 and an eight-game playoffs and BAL Finals in Kigali from May 21-28.   The twelve teams include; Petrol de Luanda, Cobra Sports (South Sudan), SLAC (Guinea) Espoir Fikash (DR Congo).   Others are; US Monastir (Tunisia) Zamalek (Egypt)DUC Dakar (Senegal), REG Kigali (Rwanda), AS Sale (Morocco), Ferroviario da Beira (Mozambique), FAP Yaoundé (Cameroon), and Cape Town Tigers (South Africa).