BY JULIUS MBARAGA
Players, officials and journalists stranded in Dubai
TRIPOLI, LIBYA - four national basketball team players got stranded at Dubai International airport. The quartet of Fiston Muhire, Mike Buzangu, Kami Kabangu and Ellis Kaijuka together with a Ferwaba official Straton Ahimana and four local journalists spent three nights at the airport before finally connecting to Tripoli.
It is reported that the contingent had been denied to proceed to Tripoli, the venue of the Afrobasket competition after failing to get the right documentation from the Libyan embassy in Dubai.
According to Ahimana, the passports must have an Arabic translation of the details which they don’t have.
“Apparently, we have to find a way of tracing the Libyan embassy in Dubai. But that means incurring extra costs because we need visas which go for US$150 and an extra US$50 for the translation,” said the official.
The group was finally allowed to proceed yesterday afternoon, but the players could not take part in the Morocco game. The Group D opener between Rwanda and Morocco was played last night.
It is a distraction Rwanda can’t afford as they plot for a top eight finish at this year’s Afrobasket competition.
Rwanda is drawn in Group D alongside Morocco, Cape Verde and Tunisia and needs to win at least two games to be sure of progressing to the last eight.