Mozambique: FMB needs 9 million meticais to participate in basketball tourney in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe – O País

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Mozambique: FMB needs 9 million meticais to participate in basketball tourney in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe – O País

6:56 CAT | 18 Jan 2023

Photo: O País

The Mozambican Basketball Federation (FNB) needs nine million meticais (around US$140,860.00 at current exchange rates] to enable the national women’s basketball team to participate in theAfro-Basket qualifiers to take place in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, from the 20th to the 28th of next month.

Mozambique’s women’s basketball team is chasing one more qualification for Afro-Basket. To get there they first need to succeed in Bulawayo. There is plenty of will, as evident in training, which started last Thursday, and where the players and the technical team have shown an abundance of dedication.

Now, the participation of the national team in qualifying presupposes many elements, one of which, if not the decisive one, is finance.

The Mozambican Basketball Federation, in the voice of its president, Roque Sebastião, says that the organization needs nine million meticais to cover the expenses inherent in Mozambique’s participation.

The helmsman of the basketball modality says that the organization is currently knocking on doors in the hope of securing the amount, which, he says, must be available before the departure of the “Samorais” to Bulawayo.

Financial issues aside, Sebastião promises that all the conditions are in place for the national team to have a decent preparation, not least because, according to him, this will be decisive for the country to be able to guarantee a place in Africa’s biggest basketball showcase.

“We must do everything we can to guarantee qualification for this race. I would like to appeal to the Mozambican business community to support us, as we are in need of a push,” Sebastião says, stressing that this is a national cause every Mozambican can relate to.

For Sebastião, the fact that the women’s basketball team is achieving satisfactory results should draw the attention of Mozambicans.

The Mozambican Basketball Federation has put together a technical team with extensive experience led by Carlos Aik, who will be assisted in his duties by Leonel Manhique and Deolinda Ngulela.

Milagre Macome appointed new men’s coach

The Mozambican Basketball Federation has appointed Milagre Macome as the new coach of the men’s national team. The new technical team’s mission is to qualify for the Afro Can, a test for domestic championships players. Octávio Magoliço will be one of Milagre Macome’s assistants.

The preparation for the qualifying phase for this event, which will take place from the 20th to the 28th of February, also in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, started this Tuesday.

National coach Macome called up 20 players, with the emphasis on young player Tomás Maquile, who is called up for the first time after having last year helped Sporting de Quelimane achieve third position in the National Basketball League.

Of the 20 players selected, Costa do Sol provided six, the largest number, followed by the two-time national champion Ferroviário da Beira, which contributed five players. Sporting de Quelimane, Ferroviário de Maputo and Maxaquene all contribute three players.

The national technical team plans to hold 42 training sessions, both on the field and in the gym. There are also plans to hold trial games before participating in the qualifying round in Zimbabwe.

FIBA-Africa has announced that teams from the Democratic Republic of Congo (Champion), Kenya (runner-up), Angola (third place) and Morocco (fourth place) have pre-qualified for the Afro Can, all four having reached the semi-finals of the 2019 edition.

Angola, Egypt and Mali are the three candidates vying to host the final stage of the competition, the decision to be taken in February, after the three countries have honed their proposals.

Source: O País