In the exciting journey of African basketball, two Mozambican referees, Nilton Macamo and António Sitoe, have earned important appointments to officiate crucial games in the qualifying phase of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). This milestone is significant for refereeing in the country, which has emerged from a period of about a year and a half without appointments to continental competitions.
Nilton Macamo led the initiative by refereeing matches in Group E of the Eastern Division of the BAL qualifying phase, held in Antananarivo, Madagascar, between October 6 and 8. This qualifying phase included the participation of COSPN (Madagascar), Ushindzi Club (Comoros), Roche-Bois Warriors (Mauritius) and Beau Vallon Heat (Seychelles).
On the other hand, António Sitoe received an equally prestigious appointment for the BAL qualifying phase. Sitoe was appointed to referee matches in Group D, East Division, which will take place from October 20 to 24 in Gaborone, Botswana. In this competition, Dolphins BBC (Botswana), Unami Wolves (Namibia), Munali Suns (Zambia) and JBC (Zimbabwe) will compete for the chance to advance to the next phase.
These appointments highlight the competence and quality of Mozambican referees at the international level. António Sitoe, in particular, already has an impressive track record of appointments, including the VII CPLP Games and the second qualifying window for Afrobasket 2021 in Harare, Zimbabwe. Furthermore, he has also officiated Basketball National League (BNL) games in South Africa.
The BAL qualifying phase is a crucial step in determining which African teams will have the opportunity to compete in the "Elite 16" of the African Basketball League. The success of referees like Nilton Macamo and António Sitoe not only raises Mozambique's profile on the African basketball scene, but also demonstrates the country's continued commitment to the development of the sport in all its facets.
With Hamad Balgira (Rwanda) and Marie Leslie (Mauritius) also appointed as technical delegate and referee supervisor, respectively, the presence of Mozambican referees in the BAL qualifying phase is an achievement that fills the nation with pride and offers an exciting glimpse into the bright future of basketball in the country.
