From Libya with love

Indeed tables do turn. Situations and circumstances can change. Places and venues that once held unpleasant memories can also become places of fond memories and delightful flashbacks.
In sports, there are countless stories of venues, arenas of defeats, embarrassments and disastrous performances turning around to become centres of stunning victories and great accomplishments.

For Nigeria, in the most recent past, Libya is a perfect example of all I have just talked about. In the last quarter of 2024, Nigeria and Libya were almost headed for a major diplomatic row because of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers – a double header. Nigeria hosted the first game and won the nail biting encounter by a lone goal which was a very late winner by Fisayo Dele Bashiru.

The Super Eagles endured a very frustrating night in Uyo largely owing to the negative, unsportsmanlike antics of the visitors. The real story, however, was not about that loss on the pitch, it was off it. It was about an alleged poor reception given the Libyans by their hosts – the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). It did not come as a surprise what happened in the build up to the reverse fixture a few days later. Any need to recount that experience? Maybe not. Thank God the worst scenario possible did not play out. If it did, we would still have been hurting from it because it would have been a major tragedy of universal proportions. Bottomline: The Libyans were sanctioned, lost three points and three goals to Nigeria and eventually missed out of the 2025 AFCON party.

So, for the average Nigerian sports person, there should be no dealings or friendship with the ‘naughty’ North Africans, or at the least, if there must be any dealings with them it should be with the proverbial long spoon, the type that people are advised to use when dining with the devil. So when it was time for the final phase of the 2025 Afrobasketball championship qualifiers in Libya some days ago, even the most optimistic and die hard supporters of the men’s senior national basketball team, D’Tigers, were not excited or expectant of a positive outing. The story of the team (D’Tigers) has been a very disappointing one. From the dizzying heights of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as Africa’s best and becoming the first and only African team to beat the United States of America in a formal basketball game (friendly or competitive) to the lowest of depths in failing to qualify for the World Championships, the 2024 Paris Olympics and the possibility of not even making it to the continental tournament – the Afrobasketball competition Angola 2025.

The most depressing run of poor results happened when the team failed to win a single game against Libya, Cape Verde and Uganda in the earlier phase of the qualifiers. The truth is that the state of Nigerian basketball is a paradox that has sharply divided opinions. While the women’s senior national team – D’Tigress – have been on the ascendancy, dominating on the continent and making impressive forays on the global scene, the men appear to be making their journey in the opposite direction. So, if the Musa Kida-led Nigeria Basketball Federation board get the stick for the decline of the men’s game, wouldn’t it be wrong to deny them the praise and kudos for the excellent and awesome strides of the women’s?

It appears however, that it is a unanimous verdict that the board is capable of, and should be doing more for the domestic leagues. And so when the roaster for the 2025 Afrobasketball qualifiers was released a few days before it commenced, almost everyone expected the worst. The highly underrated coach Abdulrahman Mohammed called up a number of little known foreign based (some free) players with a sprinkle of (just two) home based players.

This team worked quietly and ‘codedly’, refusing to draw unnecessary attention to itself, enjoying the underdog tag and avoiding to reference the bitter experiences of the Eagles at their last visit to Libya. They flew under the radar into ‘enemy territory’, settled in professionally and left their talking to the courts only. From a close five point win over the hosts in the first game, to a massive 20 point triumph over Uganda in the second game to the emphatic 15 point victory over Cape Verde in the third and final game, the D’Tigers achieved their objective – winning all three games and picking a highly prized, hugely valuable ticket to the Afrobasketball Championship in Angola in August.

So, once again, kudos and congratulations are in order to the NBBF, the D’Tigers coach and his players for what they achieved in Libya. The performance has, for the umpteenth time, highlighted how blessed Nigeria is with top class human resources and talents. If only we could manage these resources better, we would be world beaters in every sector.

Now, let’s end with a major poser as we begin to prepare for the Afrobasketball Championship in Angola. The tournament in August will be tougher and of a much higher standard than we saw in Libya. Participating teams will surely come with their best players.

What kind of team is Nigeria taking to Angola? Will the National Sports Commission (NSC) provide the funds that the NBBF needs to get our A class players to Angola? Do we just stick to, and gamble on the little known guys who did the thankless and patriotic task of getting us the qualification ticket last week against all odds? Fingers crossed, as we wait to see how these things will go. We can only hope that the authorities will think deep about these next steps and make the right decisions.