The victory of Fath Union Sports (FUS) of Rabat against Al Ahly of Egypt, title holder, in a classification match counting for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2024, is good for the morale of the team and will allow approach the rest of the competition with more confidence, FUS coach Said El Bouzidi said on Friday in Kigali.
Speaking at a post-match press conference, following the victory (89-78) at the opening of the competition which takes place from May 24 to June 1 in the Rwandan capital, the Moroccan coach stressed that the victory was deserved against one of the best teams in Africa, explaining that defensive solidity, collective play and making the right decisions in attack were determining factors in this success.
“This victory allows the FUS team to meet the 8th in the ranking, namely Capte Town Tiger (South Africa),” he insisted.
Welcoming the level of competition during this BAL 2024 compared to previous editions, Said Bouzidi noted that Africa is full of exceptional talents capable of contributing to the development of African basketball.
For his part, FUS player Abdelhakim Zouita welcomed this victory against the African Champion, noting that his teammates are aware that the most important thing is to win the knockout matches to continue to compete for this continental title. .
For his part, Al Ahly coach Augustí Julbe Bosch congratulated the FUS Rabat players for their victory, noting that the Moroccan team was the best and “did everything to win this meeting”.
“Al Ahly will try to correct their mistakes in the next matches to try to achieve their second consecutive title in this competition,” he said.
The representative of Moroccan basketball at this edition of the BAL will play Sunday in the quarter-final against the South African Cape Town Tigers, who lost (87-76) in the other classification match against the Libyans Al Ahly .
The result of a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and NBA Africa, the BAL 2024 sees the participation of 8 teams, namely FUS de Rabat, Petro Atletico (Angola), Al Ahly (Egypt), Al Ahly (Libya), Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria), AS Douanes (Senegal), Cape Town Tigers (South Africa) and US Monastir (Tunisia).
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