According to the NBBF, owners of the league, the ASE did not get any approval from it and shouldn’t have started the league without its consent.
The NBBF has also received the support of the FIBA Africa, the continental body in charge of basketball in Africa who wrote on Wednesday to say it did not grant ASE the necessary approval to organise any league.
Consequently, the ABL which had its inaugural matches in Lagos will not go on as planned. The organisers would have to go back to the drawing board to get all the necessary approvals.
In their reaction to the statement from the NBBF, the group had threatened to seek redress in the law court, if the federation did not retract its statement and allowed the league to hold as planned.

 

In view of the action of the NBBF, those who supported the emergence of the African Basketball League alleged that the federation under the leadership of Tijani Umar is only afraid of being overshadowed by the new initiative.
Of course, the ABL tipped off in grand style and succeeded in attracting the attention of basketball fans in the country. The aim definitely was to take such electrifying atmosphere to the other franchise cities; Dakar, Abidjan and Libreville.
 

Thus, in their response to the press statement by the NBBF, the group said “the ABL has contributed greatly to the economy of Nigeria within few weeks of existence with 70 percent of products used at the games produced locally in Nigeria with International Standard”.
 “The ABL has been able to achieve in one weekend what the NBBF has never achieved in its history of ‘governing’ basketball.”

 

However, the NBBF stood its ground insisting that the right things must be done. Therefore, the president of the federation, Mr. Tijani Umar in an interview with SHOT! said the NBBF is not against the new initiative but would not allow any illegality to thrive.
He said “For those who know me very well, I am never afraid of competition. I am one of the most forward looking presidents. I am liberal and always willing to accommodate good ideas. But I am also a due process person.

 

“We as a federation did not know anything about this league until in late December when someone called to say they were going to start a basketball league and that they are asking for permission for the federation to allow the clubs to play in the league and also play in the DSTV Premier League.
 “I told the person, please I don’t know whether you know or you don’t know but you and the people who are trying to do the league, tell them that the federation is the governing body for basketball and the FIBA internal regulations are very clear.

 

“NBBF superintends over every basketball matter in the country. Everything is under our purview including the establishment of leagues. So if anybody is desirous of establishing a league it is a welcome development but tell them they have placed the cart before the horse”.
Umar went on to explain how eventually a meeting was held between him and the CEO of ASE who was asked to go and prepare his proposal for the consideration of the NBBF.

 

“To be fair to them, they called me on phone and I explained to them all the details, but they did not understand and I am not surprised because I don’t think any of them know the rules.
“I took my time and explained everything to them. So they said they would come and they eventually came. So I had one on one meeting with the CEO of the league and I was very clear.
“I had consulted my colleagues and I told him that we have nothing against this league. We even commend your effort because there is enough space for all of us to operate.
“I told him that being a league owner does not make you a competitor. You cannot compete with the NBBF. If you want to do a league, we have to approve it and if

 

we do not approve it, it is illegal and once we say it is illegal and you go to play, there are consequences”.
Consequently, there were consequences for the referees and the three Atlantic Conference clubs that participated in the league. The referees have been suspended indefinitely and the clubs, Dodan Warriors, Union Bank and Lagos Islanders have been exempted from the DSTV Premier League which jumped off yesterday in Abuja.

 

“The referees who went ahead to officiate against our directive and that of the basketball referees council are now paying the price. They have been suspended indefinitely and won’t officiate in the DSTV Premier League or any tournament in and outside Nigeria.
“Secondly, we told the teams, don’t play in an illegal league otherwise you won’t be allowed to play in our league. So that is the position now. So if these people come, we shall sit down and discuss with them.

“If they agree, they will come back to us and go to the African body which will take a lot of time and effort. The suspended clubs will apply and we would reabsorb them. But for now because they have disobeyed our own directives by playing in the illegal league, they will have to pay a price”.
Umar also insisted that his actions are for the good of the game as he said there is nothing political or personal about the decisions taken concerning the ABL.
“I swear to almighty God, there is nothing political or personal interest about what I am doing. This basketball we are doing, I am doing it to give something back to society and I want the right things to be done.

 

“No one will bribe me, no one will blackmail me and no one will make me do the wrong thing,” he said.
Although the ABL had made the claim that it met the NBBF several times on the issue with little result while FIBA Africa gave them the go ahead to launch the present ‘test’ inaugural season, on Wednesday, FIBA Africa wrote in clear terms to distance itself from the league.
The continental body wrote to inform the NBBF that it did not grant any approval for the league to be inaugurated as claimed by Africa Sports Entertainment.

 

The letter made available to SHOT! reads in part “An organization called African Basketball League (ABL) undertook since March 2016, to set up a so called professional competition including six (6) teams from Côte d’Ivoire (1), Gabon (1), Nigeria (3) and Senegal (1).   
“FIBA Africa held some meetings with that Organisation but could not reach any agreement and accordingly, FIBA Africa did not give its approval for the launch of that competition, even as a test one”.
FIBA Africa went on to explain that it rejected the ABL initiative because the teams selected by the ABL can’t play in the domestic league of their respective countries  and any other team apart from those selected by ABL are not allowed to feature in the ABL’s Tournament,

 

Furthermore, the body said the “Project needs approval from the concerned National Federations (Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Nigeria and Senegal) as the games should be played in those countries, and FIBA Africa has not yet received any official position to this effect”.
With the full backing of FIBA Africa, the NBBF president said “This is the long and short of the whole thing. Please don’t write from any different perspective that we are afraid of them or anything.
“Not that we don’t want the league but you must run it like an approved league. You must subject yourself to due process. You are not above the law.

 

“If you think Nigeria is a lawless country you are wasting your time. You will go back to where you are coming from. Go and try it there and let’s see if it will work”.
So as it is, the only way out is for the ABL to go to the country federations of the clubs, in this case, the federation of Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Nigeria and Gabon for approvals which would be taken to FIBA Africa for consideration.