Uganda Silverbacks set to miss FIBA Afro-CAN Qualifiers

Uganda and the Silverbacks do not have the resources required to participate in upcoming FIBA Afro-CAN Qualifiers.

The qualifiers will take place between June 17 and 23 in Dar es Salam, Tanzania with different Zone 5 countries fighting for a ticket to the second edition of the Afro-CAN.

The Afro-CAN is a continental basketball competition with a focus on promoting local talent.

The competition allows national teams to summon a roster that comprises only two overseas-based players, while the rest of the ten must be based on the continent.

The qualifiers in Dar es Salam will present the different countries with the opportunity to qualify for the finals slated for July in Luanda, Angola.

But when the action tips off on June 17th, Uganda will be one of the significant absentees.

The team will sit out the tournament due to a lack of funds.

“We can’t afford at the moment,” Fuba President Nasser Sserunjogi told Pulse Sports.

Fuba’s financial constraints in the last few years have seen them present teams on the big stage with no proper preparations.

This time round, the federation chose to sit out and focus on the U-16 teams that also have upcoming engagements.

The U-16 teams will take part in the Fiba U16 African Championship Preliminaries slated to take place in Kigali, Rwanda, later this month.

“We had U-16 and Afro-CAN. We chose U-16, which we shall participate in,” Sserunjogi noted.

“This will help us avoid clashing with NCS all the time,” he added.

As Uganda continues to struggle to fund their teams, the other Zone 5 nations will have the opportunity to fight for the sole available ticket.

Burundi, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya (qualified), Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, and Tanzania are the teams expected to take part in the tournament.

With Kenya already qualified after making the final in 2019, Egypt and Rwanda will lead the chase for the sole ticket.