Sport

FIBA 3x3 referees owed P13,000

Dumisani Ncube | Thursday December 8, 2016 16:01

FIBA 3x3: It has turned out that referees who officiated at these matches have not been paid
 
FIBA 3x3: It has turned out that referees who officiated at these matches have not been paid

Batho-Batho Moeketsi’s Hoop City, in collaboration with the Botswana Basketball Association (BBA), organised the tournament.

Moeketsi has admitted that referees have not been paid due to the tight budget, but said they are working on paying them.

“We have not been paid ever since the tournament ended; they are not communicating with us. We even wrote a letter to the BNSC but it didn’t bear any fruit. We have been talking to Tumelo Boima and Mothusi Phokoje who had contracted us. Hoop City owner Bibi (Moeketsi) went to South Africa without paying us,” one of the referees, Israel Mphato said.

 “We are yet to take the matter to the new (BBA) committee to see how they can assist us,” Mphato said.

Winners PoshRentless were supposed to represent the country at the continental tournament in Ivory Coast but were replaced with runners-up, Deeds due to their players’ school commitments.

BBA spokesperson, Tumelo Boima had said this was due to school examinations clashing with the tournament. “That was not true. The tournament was a mess and they wanted us to use our money to pay for Visas. Initially we were told that there will be prize money only to get trophies and medals. We had to pull out because we noticed that they did not have money after they asked us to pop up P500 each for the Visa process,” said a PoshRentless player who spoke on condition of anonymity.

He said before the team pulled out, they had sought audience with the organisers who however, did not pitch up.

Moeketsi recently said personal fights were responsible for the team’s withdrawal. “As for prizes we made it clear that there was no prize money,” Moeketsi said.

 There have been questions as to why the basketball association and not Hoop City had to pay rental fee at Molapo. Moeketsi admitted that Hoop City received funds to help pay for the venue but denied the money was from the association.

Instead it was from the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC), he said. 

“We did have sponsors but they assisted us with various services, but not funds,” Moeketsi said.

Boima previously clarified that the BNSC had assisted with P120,000 and not P137,000. The FIBA is set to return next year for the second installation.