Burundi's Dynamo BBC have withdrawn from the Basketball Africa League after a second straight forfeiture over their refusal to display the "Visit Rwanda" shirt sponsorship, with the NBA Academy Africa team set to play exhibition games instead.
Dynamo taped up the "Visit Rwanda" logo for their 86-73 win over the Cape Town Tigers amid conflict between the governments of Rwanda and Burundi. They had to forfeit subsequent games against FUS Rabat and Petro de Luanda for refusing to display the logo.
Burundian president Évariste Ndayishimiye has accused Paul Kagame's government of supporting the RED-Tabara rebel group and closed their border to Rwanda in January. Despite a U.N. experts report claiming as much, Rwanda's government has always denied backing the rebels.
BAL president Amadou Gallo Fall said: "Dynamo Basketball Club (Burundi) has further refused to comply with the Basketball Africa League's rules and requirements governing jerseys and uniforms, thereby forfeiting today's game against Petro de Luanda (Angola) and its participation in the 2024 BAL season.
"Under FIBA rules, two forfeitures in the same tournament trigger the club's automatic withdrawal. This is a very unfortunate situation for the players and fans, and we share the frustrations of everyone involved. All remaining Kalahari Conference games will be played as scheduled, and we look forward to engaging fans in Pretoria through expanded fan and community events."
If games are open to the public, fans will at least have the opportunity to watch a rising star in Duke commit Khaman Maluach (South Sudan), the third projected pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, who travelled with the academy into Pretoria.
Another highly sought after prospect, Ulrich Chomche, could be in the NBA as early as 2024 but has been subject to interest from the likes of Arizona, G League Ignite, USC, Xavier, Georgetown, Washington and Texas.
Details regarding the Academy's playing schedule are yet to be confirmed, but the BAL confirmed that on Tuesday, the only game will be between FUS Rabat and the Cape Town Tigers, with the academy's arrival too recent for them to take to the court.