Sports

FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Rwanda 2023: Witnessing the Prowess of Nigeria’s D’Tigress

Published

3 years ago

August 13, 2023

Eric

By Dolapo Aina

The national basketball women team of Nigeria D’Tigress had a phenomenal run in the city of Kigali which is the capital of Rwanda during the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2023 tourney. The ladies went past Congo DR, Egypt, Rwanda and at the finals had to re-assert dominance over The Lionesses of Senegal (the final was the closest game which would be termed as tough for the ladies from Nigeria.) The tense game was expected as the game was more of a West African showdown in East Africa: The Jollof War in Kigali. The Nigerian community in Kigali were all out in their numbers to cheer the ladies to assured victory.

The assured victory was evident from the beginning of the tourney as the camaraderie between coach Rena Wakama and the ladies was as glaring as the sun bouncing off the hills in Kigali. Their poise, confidence and preparedness in all their games were unmatched whether on the court or courtside. Nevertheless, during the final, D’Tigress were very professional. With the unrelenting support of the Nigerian community engineered by the Nigerian diplomats at the Nigeria High Commission in Kigali; the Nigerian community metamorphosed into one of the most vociferous Nigerian sports supporters one would ever find outside Nigeria, the ladies were super-charged. On a lighter note, it is doubtful if anyone in Sub-Sahara Africa is as vociferous as a Nigerian if it comes down to a shouting contest. The decibels at the BK Arena for the Nigerian games against Rwanda and Senegal might just be one of the loudest recorded sporting jubilations at the magnificent edifice situated in Remera in Kigali.

Senegal was not playing hard defence against Nigeria during the first half quarter of the game. Therefore, the Nigerian team was making most of their shots, including three shots, and that was the reason D’Tigress were in the lead at the end of the first half. To be blunt and honest, Nigeria could have tightened up even more on their defence during the first half. The Nigerian supporters comprising the Nigerian community in Kigali took a break from the drumming, singing and hyping.

During the second half, Senegal came back from halftime with nothing short of a vengeance which is more of a West African rivalry. The Lionesses from Senegal came back prepared to fight. Senegal tightened up on their defence tremendously and rebounds were made as the final statistics from FIBA revealed.

Now, during the third quarter, Nigeria’s lack of defence hurt them because it enabled Senegal to garner points. The third quarter was quite a defining set because during the third quarter, some of the Nigerian players, once they had possession of the ball, would gravitate to the right-hand corner of the court before they would try to take a shot. Senegal noticed it also, so two or more of the Senegalese players would force the Nigerian player into a corner. And once this was done, the Nigerian player would then be unable to pass the ball. At this point, the Nigerian player would desperately try to make the shot but would miss. And this happened time and time again.

One could tell that towards the end of the third quarter and the early part of the fourth quarter, the Nigerian players were getting nervous and frustrated. They were missing their shots and fumbling and turning over the ball a few times and Senegalese were able to gain possession and make shots. Meanwhile, Senegal did get a little overzealous with their defence a few times and D’Tigress of Nigeria were able to get quite a few foul shots called in. The Nigerian supporters were still unrelenting.
Rena Wakama who is Nigeria’s coach was always pacing the courtside and making the appropriate changes when the time called for it. She called the ladies in with about four to five minutes left in the game for a strategising session which turned out to be the rallying point and tonic the team needed. Once that strategizing session ended, the ladies came back on court fighting and charging like tigresses at any obstacle. They tightened up on their defence; they increased their rebounds and assists. They came back in hitting three-point shots. The ladies came back into the game fighting to win. They came back hungry and realised they did not come this far to lose. Nigeria ended the game (84-74) in grand style with a three-pointer shot that sent the players of D’Tigress and the Nigerian community in Kigali into joyous pandemonium.

Nigeria’s Amy Okonkwo, the tournament’s Most Valuable Player told FIBA website that: “We have a coach that believes in us. It has us fighting till the end, even in adversity. So, we knew we had our destiny in our hands. Even when Senegal came back, we knew we had to step up, to keep together and we made it happen. I was playing in Mexico this summer, and I’m thankful to have the opportunity to come and lead. And I had the opportunity to lead the team. I told to myself that I was not coming to Kigali to lose anything. And being MVP is a huge honour.”
Rena Wakama, Nigeria’s head coach who was ubiquitous during the final stated that: “Against Mozambique, we were down by 10 or 12 points. I looked into their eyes, and they told me: “Coach, we’re not going to lose this game and they came back to win. That was the defining moment for me. It has been a long year for me. I asked God for a sign, and this trophy was the biggest of them all.”

Sports

AFCON 2025: CAS Overturns CAF Verdict

Published

2 weeks ago

March 25, 2026

Eric

African football has been plunged into fresh uncertainty after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) provisionally suspended a controversial ruling that stripped Senegal of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and awarded it to Morocco.

In an interim decision issued on Monday, CAS accepted Senegal’s appeal against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeals Board and ordered a “freeze” on the implementation of its verdict.

The move effectively places the 2025 AFCON title in legal limbo pending a full hearing.

The dispute stems from a chaotic final played in January 2026, where the Teranga Lions of Senegal defeated the hosts, the Atlas Lions of Morocco, 1–0 after extra time. The match took a dramatic turn late on when a contentious penalty was awarded to Morocco.

Although the spot kick was missed, Senegal’s players briefly walked off the pitch in protest, prompting confusion before play eventually resumed, and the match was concluded. Weeks later, Morocco’s federation challenged the outcome, citing provisions within AFCON regulations relating to match forfeiture.

On March 17, CAF’s Appeals Board ruled in Morocco’s favour, declaring that Senegal’s walk-off constituted a breach severe enough to forfeit the match. The result was overturned to a 3–0 victory for Morocco, with Senegal stripped of the title.

Senegal swiftly condemned the decision as unjust and escalated the matter to CAS, arguing that the sanction was disproportionate and undermined the integrity of the on-field result.

CAS has now sided, at least temporarily, with Senegal’s request for urgent intervention.

By granting provisional measures, the tribunal signalled that enforcing CAF’s ruling before a full hearing could cause irreparable harm, particularly in a case involving the revocation of a major continental title.

The immediate consequence is that AFCON 2025 currently has no officially recognised champion. The trophy remains unassigned while legal proceedings continue.

Sports

AFCON 2025: George Weah Urges CAS to Overrule CAF’s Verdict

Published

2 weeks ago

March 21, 2026

Eric

African football legend George Weah has criticised the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for stripping Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and awarding it to Morocco.

CAF’s Appeal Board overturned Senegal’s 1–0 victory in the Rabat final after ruling that the team’s walk-off during a late penalty incident constituted a forfeit. The result was subsequently recorded as a 3–0 win in favour of Morocco, crowning the hosts as champions.

Reacting to the decision, Weah, a former Ballon d’Or winner and three-time African Player of the Year, argued that match outcomes should be determined on the pitch, not in post-match rulings.

“In football, the referee on the pitch is the final authority. Once a match is completed, the result obtained on the field must stand,” he said.

Weah warned that overturning completed matches sets a dangerous precedent for the sport.

“There is no sporting justification to nullify a match completed under the referee’s authority.

Otherwise, we risk a slippery slope where committee decisions override on-field calls,” he added.

The former AC Milan forward further stated that the ruling undermines the integrity and credibility of African football, raising concerns over fairness and consistency.

Sports

AFCON 2025: Senegal Rejects CAF Verdict, Heads to CAS

Published

3 weeks ago

March 18, 2026

Eric

The Senegalese Football Federation has rejected the decision of the Confederation of African Football Appeal Board awarding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco and confirmed it will challenge the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Morocco were on Tuesday crowned champions of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after the Confederation of African Football Appeal Board overturned the result of the final against Senegal, ruling that the West African side forfeited the match following a walk-off during the game in Rabat on January 19.

CAF stated that “the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the final match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, with the result recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football.”

The decision followed a protest by Morocco after chaotic scenes late in the final, when Senegal players briefly left the pitch after a disallowed goal and a penalty awarded to the hosts, an action the appeal board ruled fell under Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations on misconduct and forfeiture.

“With this decision, the CAF Appeals Board declared the appeal of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation admissible and accepted it.

“In doing so, the board overturned the decision rendered by the CAF Disciplinary Board, on the grounds that the appellant’s right to be heard had not been respected during the initial proceedings,” the FSF said.

According to the statement, the appeal committee ruled that the conduct of the Senegal national team fell under Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations, leading to the forfeiture decision.

“The Appeals Committee also determined that the conduct of the Senegalese team fell under Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations.

“Consequently, CAF declared that the FSF had violated Article 82 and awarded the match by forfeit, with a recorded score of 3–0 in favor of the FRMF, in accordance with Article 84,” the federation stated.

Reacting to the verdict, the Senegalese federation criticised the decision, describing it as damaging to the credibility of African football.

“The Senegalese Football Federation denounces an unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable decision that discredits African football,” the statement added.

The federation confirmed that it would file an appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“To defend its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the Federation will initiate, as soon as possible, an appeal procedure before the Court of Arbitration for Sport,” the statement said.

The FSF added that it remained committed to due process and would continue to inform the public as the case progresses.

“The FSF reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the values of integrity and sporting justice, and will keep the public informed of the follow-up to this matter,” the statement concluded.