Jersey Protest Leads to Dynamo BC Forfeiture: A BAL Fixture Disrupted

In a surprising turn of events, the anticipated Basketball Africa League (BAL) match between Burundi’s Dynamo BC and FUS Rabat of Morocco was abruptly forfeited by Dynamo BC.

Scheduled to take place on Sunday at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, this forfeiture stemmed from Dynamo BC’s steadfast refusal to display the tournament sponsor, Visit Rwanda’s logo, on their jerseys.

This decision came on the heels of Dynamo BC’s previous game against the Cape Town Tigers, where they had obscured the sponsor’s logo with tape.

The BAL, facing an unexpected development, announced the forfeiture just hours before the scheduled game. The decision disrupted the Kalahari Conference fixture, the first of two scheduled matches in Pretoria for the day. Instead, Petro de Luanda and Cape Town took the court for the second game.

In a statement, BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall  said: “Dynamo Basketball Club (Burundi) has forfeited its game against FUS Rabat Basketball (Morocco) on Sunday, March 10 at the SunBet Arena for refusing to comply with the league’s rules governing jersey and uniform requirements.”

The roots of this protest can be traced to the escalating tensions between Rwanda and Burundi, which reached a peak when Burundi closed its borders with Rwanda earlier in the year, accusing Rwanda’s government of supporting the RED-Tabara rebel militia.