Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has promised not to bend the rules in taking actions against erring teams in the current basketball season.
Spokesman of the federation, Patrick Omorodion, in a telephone chat with TheNiche on Wednesday, said the step is to bring sanity into the federation and among the participating teams.
Dodan Warriors Romaric Quenum (left) being blocked by Union Bank’s Obun Darlinton Onya at the ongoing Nigeria DStv Premier Male Basketballke
“We are going to treat all teams equally and, as such, we will not bend the rules to favour any team.
“Once you go against the rules and regulations of the federation regarding the ongoing season, we will dish out the right punishment,” he said.
On Niger Potters of Minna that failed to honour their Week 7 game against Gombe Bulls in Gombe, Omorodion said the Minna side has been fined N60,000 while the match has been awarded to Gombe Bulls, with a warning that such should not repeat itself in their own interest.
“The NBBF stated in a letter to the club that the fine is to cover the money expended on the match officials who were on ground for the aborted match,” he said.
In acknowledging the response of Niger Potters to the federation’s query on the aborted game, the NBBF noted that while it appreciates the club’s dire financial condition as explained, “it will no longer be acceptable as a reason for not honouring matches in the future, (as) we will apply the maximum penalty of relegation if this happens again.”
Royal Hoopers of Port Harcourt had suffered the same fate after they failed to show up for the season’s opener against Dodan Warriors in Lagos on March 7, 2014 and were subsequently walked over by the Lagos side.