Latest news with #Women'sAfroBasket
eNCA
6 days ago
- Politics
- eNCA
Hobbled at home, Nigerian sportswomen dominate abroad
As Nigerian women dominate sports on the continent, they're facing off not just against top talent abroad but a domestic atmosphere of mismanagement and pay disparities -- and even the risk of repression for speaking out. Nigeria is fresh off a win at the finals of Women's AfroBasket, their fifth-consecutive championship at the continent's top hardwood tournament, while last month the Super Falcons clinched their 10th Women's Africa Cup of Nations football title. The football team's successes in particular have come in the face of pay disparities compared to their male counterparts -- when they get paid at all. The women receive a training camp allowance but the bulk of their pay comes from per-match bonuses, which vary depending on the team's results. Both the women's basketball and football teams have been plagued by late or unpaid match bonuses for years, despite their records as arguably the best teams on the continent. But when the Super Falcons landed in Abuja after their 3-2 WAFCON victory over host Morocco last month, none of the players answered questions shouted by an AFP reporter in the press scrum about whether they would ask the president, who was welcoming them at his villa, about being paid the same as the men's team. Nigerian journalists on the scene said the question was useless: it was far too politically charged. "If you speak up against what's going on, you completely lose the possibility of getting what you're entitled to, you could actually be blacklisted," Solace Chukwu, senior editor at Afrik-Foot Nigeria, later told AFP. - Strikes over late payments - Not that there aren't clashes: in 2021, basketballers called out the authorities when they topped Africa, protesting against unpaid match bonuses. The Nigeria Basketball Federation at the time denied any wrongdoing, blaming the issue on clerical errors. Like the basketball team, the women's football team has found remarkable success, stemming in part from the country's population of more than 200 million -- the largest on the continent, complemented by a widespread diaspora. They also benefited from early investments in women's football at a time when other African countries focused on men's teams, Chukwu said, helping the Super Falcons win the first seven editions of the WAFCON, from 1991 to 2006. Yet they only played a handful of test matches before they landed in Morocco for this year's competition, cobbled together at the last second. The Super Falcons haven't been completely silent in the face of mismanagement and disinterest from authorities. But rocking the boat too much appears to come with a cost. "Players who lead or dare to protest... always risk not being invited or sidelined outrightly," said Harrison Jalla, a players' union official. After Super Falcons captain Desire Oparanozie -- now a commentator -- led protests over unpaid wages at the 2019 Women's World Cup, she was stripped of her captaincy and was not called up for the 2022 tournament. Former men's coach Sunday Oliseh -- who himself was let go from the national squad amid protests over backpay in the early 2000s -- called the situation a case of "criminal" retaliation. The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) at the time denied that it dropped Oparanozie over the protests. The NFF and the Super Falcons did not respond to an AFP request for comment on the allegations that players are afraid to speak out. - 'Sky is the limit' - Players still have hopes for women's sports to expand. "I think the sky is the limit," Nigerian point guard Promise Amukamara told AFP in Abuja, fresh off her AfroBasket win. "Obviously, more facilities should be built around Nigeria. I feel like maybe, one year we should host the AfroBasket." Aisha Falode, an NFF official, meanwhile, called on the government to "invest in the facilities, invest in the leagues and the players, because the women's game can no longer be taken lightly". Despite the challenges, women's sports are still finding a foothold among younger fans. Justina Oche, 16, a player at a football academy in Abuja, told AFP that the exploits of the team inspired her to pursue a career in the sport. "They say what a man can do, a woman can do even better," said the youngster, whose role model is six-time African Footballer of the Year Asisat Oshoala. "The Super Falcons have again proved this." By Samm Audu And Nicholas Roll
New York Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
U.S. rejects visas for Senegal women's national basketball team members, staff
The Senegal women's national basketball team cancelled a 10-day training camp in the U.S. from June 22 to July 3 after the U.S. rejected visas for five players, six staff members and a ministerial delegation, the Senegalese Basketball Federation announced in a statement Friday. The rejected visas come weeks after the Trump administration announced a travel ban on 12 countries and visa restrictions on another seven. That original group did not include Senegal, but The Washington Post and other outlets reported last week that the administration was considering expanding the ban to 36 more countries, including Senegal. The expanded ban has not yet taken effect. Advertisement The travel ban includes exemptions for the World Cup, Olympics and any 'other major sporting event,' though it's unclear what constitutes a 'major' event. 'Informed of the refusal to issue Visas to multiple members of the national women's basketball team of Senegal, I gave instruction to the Ministry of Sports to cancel, purely and simply, the ten-day preparation program initially set to be in the United States of America,' Senegal Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said in a statement on Facebook on Friday. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The training camp, which will now take place in Senegal, is in preparation for the Women's AfroBasket, Africa's continental championship. Senegal leads the medal table and has won 11 titles, the most in Women's AfroBasket history. Sonko also praised China in his statement on Friday. With the Trump administration pulling foreign assistance and restricting travel from many African countries, some foreign policy experts predict that China will strengthen its relationship with the continent and fill that gap. 'I would like to express my profound gratitude to the People's Republic of China, who have agreed to several tens of grants for the preparation of our athletes along with their supervisors, with the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar 2026 in mind,' Sonko said. The Athletic's Max Mathews contributed reporting.
Business Insider
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Insider
Senegal's women's basketball team becomes first sports casualty of Trump's visa ban
The visa ban come amid the rollout of a broader immigration policy by the Trump administration, which is reportedly considering restrictions on up to 36 additional countries, many of them in Africa, including Senegal, whose female basketball team was denied entry to the U.S. for an international tournament. Incidentally, Senegal was among the 25 African countries listed in a recent memo outlining nations that could potentially be added to the next phase of President Trump's expanded travel ban. Although the restrictions have not yet been formally enforced, the inclusion of such a large number of African countries raises concerns that the final list may ultimately target the continent on a much broader scale The policy, framed as a national security measure, targets countries allegedly lacking adequate passport controls, deportation cooperation, or security vetting systems. It has drawn widespread international criticism for its sweeping scope and potential discriminatory effects. According to the BBC, five Senegalese players and 13 team officials were denied visas as they prepared to join teammates and their coach who had already arrived in the U.S. The training camp was intended as a warm-up for the 2025 Women's AfroBasket tournament, scheduled to take place in Côte d'Ivoire next month. The incident marks a significant moment in the fallout of the Trump administration's immigration strategy, as it extends beyond traditional visa categories to affect international sporting participation. Senegalese government responds Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko announced the cancellation of the planned training camp in the United States for the national women's basketball team after several members were denied entry visas. The decision marks a clear diplomatic response to what Senegal views as discriminatory treatment under President Donald Trump's expanded visa restrictions. "Informed of the refusal of issuing visas to several members of the Senegal women's national basketball team, I have instructed the Ministry of Sports to simply cancel the ten-day preparatory training initially planned in the United States of America," Sonko said in a statement. According to the Prime Minister, the team will now conduct its preparations in Dakar, which he described as a " sovereign and conducive setting." The move signals Senegal's rejection of a policy it sees as unjust, particularly as the team becomes the first high-profile African sports delegation directly affected by the new U.S. visa rules. The visa denials not only disrupt the team's preparations for the upcoming 2025 Women's AfroBasket tournament in Côte d'Ivoire but also raise broader concerns about the unintended consequences of immigration policies on international sports and cultural exchange.
