29 September 2008
UGANDA : Uganda risks two-year ban from international hoops competitions
by Sande Bashaija
Kampala
Uganda could be banned from international competitions for at least two years and fined not less than $3,000 (about Shs4.9m) unless the national girls’ team participates in the U-18 Africa Championship that gets underway on Friday in Tunisia.
The team that qualified after edging bitter rivals Kenya last month, is meant to travel on Wednesday but the cash-strapped Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations (Fuba) is yet to secure air tickets from government.
“I am very worried. All our efforts to revive the game could be frustrated if the team doesn’t travel. I just hope the sports ministry does something between now and Tuesday,” Fuba president Ambrose Tashobya (above) told Daily Monitor yesterday.
“If the ministry has no money, the only option would be approaching an airline company to give us air tickets and they pay at a later date,” Tashobya said. “As a federation, we are ready to look around and meet players and officials’ allowances.”
If the team doesn’t travel, Warriors, Falcons, KCC Leopards and A-1 Challenge, will be barred from the Africa Zone 5 Club Championships due next month in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Already, Fuba owes the international body-Fiba over $2,000 (Shs3.3m) in affiliation fee arrears. Fuba intends to take a contingent of 18 people but Tashobya revealed they would reduce the number depending on the availability of funds.
Kampala
Uganda could be banned from international competitions for at least two years and fined not less than $3,000 (about Shs4.9m) unless the national girls’ team participates in the U-18 Africa Championship that gets underway on Friday in Tunisia.
The team that qualified after edging bitter rivals Kenya last month, is meant to travel on Wednesday but the cash-strapped Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations (Fuba) is yet to secure air tickets from government.
“I am very worried. All our efforts to revive the game could be frustrated if the team doesn’t travel. I just hope the sports ministry does something between now and Tuesday,” Fuba president Ambrose Tashobya (above) told Daily Monitor yesterday.
“If the ministry has no money, the only option would be approaching an airline company to give us air tickets and they pay at a later date,” Tashobya said. “As a federation, we are ready to look around and meet players and officials’ allowances.”
If the team doesn’t travel, Warriors, Falcons, KCC Leopards and A-1 Challenge, will be barred from the Africa Zone 5 Club Championships due next month in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Already, Fuba owes the international body-Fiba over $2,000 (Shs3.3m) in affiliation fee arrears. Fuba intends to take a contingent of 18 people but Tashobya revealed they would reduce the number depending on the availability of funds.
# posted by afrbk : 14:12
