Royal Hoopers Explain Abandonment Of League Match

An athlete in action during a 500 metre race in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, recently

Coach Ogor Odaudu of
Royal Hoopers club has said his team abandoned their first match of the DStv Men’s Basketball League to fight for their wages.
The Port Harcourt-based Royal Hoopers on Friday did not turn up for their match against hosts Dodan Warriors of Lagos and were consequently walked over in the fixture.
Odaudu told newsmen that the team had suffered terribly in the hands of the Rivers Government which has denied them their wages for almost two years.
“We have been pushing hard for this for long now. It has been the same case ever since, and we are not happy about how the state government is treating us.
“We have done well in the league and everyone knows that Hoopers are a force to reckon with in basketball in Nigeria.
“We are twice champions of the DStv league in the last five seasons and are always ready to compete with any club in the Savannah or the Atlantic Conference.
“But without proper financial assistance by the state government, how do we function properly as a club as regards travelling outside Port-Harcourt to fulfill our necessary obligations?’’ Odaudu said.
Hoopers’ opponents, Dodan Warriors, were awarded two points and a 20-0 scoreline as winners of the match.
However, in his reaction, coach Chris Nomigo of Dodan Warriors said he was not happy about the situation because his boys had trained hard to face their opponents.
“We were prepared for this match but to hear that our opponents had refused to come was a shocking revelation.