South Africa has made a U-turm after denying visas to Nigeria’s national under-18 basketball team, billed to participate in the 2024 FIBA U18 Afrobasket tournament taking place in Cape Town, South Africa.
The South African Consulate in Abuja have issued the male players’ visas.
The Vice Chairman, Nigerian Basketball Federation, Ugo Udezue, confirmed the development in a statement on Tuesday.
Expressing happiness over the turn around, Udezue described the move as a well thought out one.
This has enabled Nigeria’s participation in the tournament which begins today for her with a match against Egypt.
The players, who had been training in Abuja after returning from Abidjan, are happy about their chance to compete in the FIBA World Championship.
The South African Embassy in Lagos had earlier approved visas for the girls’ team, who are currently in Pretoria for their match against Egypt.
Both teams had previously qualified for the tournament by winning the FIBA Africa Zone 3 qualifiers in Ivory Coast.
