Liz Cambage wants to play for D'Tigress after calling them "monkeys"
Liz Cambage wants to play for Nigeria. However, Nigerian players accuse her of making racist insults towards them.
Sport News Africa · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Audio version in preparation · read aloud by your browser meanwhile
Banned from the Australian national team, Liz Cambage is looking for a new home. And the former WNBA star has reportedly set her sights on Nigeria, since her father is Nigerian. "Why does Nigeria want me to leave Australia and go and represent them? We are asking for me to leave the Australian team so that I can represent Nigeria. I'm in cahoots with them, I've been talking to them since all this happened. That's what I mean, people don't know the truth," the 31-year-old told Bleacher Report.
But it is far from a done deal for the former Opal. While playing for Australia, a heated altercation had broken out between her and the D’Tigress during a friendly. She allegedly made racist insults towards the African champions, calling them "monkeys". Worse still, she allegedly even told the Nigerian players to "go back to their third world country".
Sarah Ogoke tears into Cambage
Liz Cambadge, however, denies these allegations. "The video in circulation shows a very physical game with no referee, which led to me being attacked and suffering a concussion," Cambage wrote on Twitter. She went on: "Contrary to the false claims, I did not use racist slurs or call anyone a monkey, which is clear from the footage. To set the record straight, I never said I had officially joined the Nigerian national team. Instead, I expressed an interest in joining the team and representing Nigeria. I had discussions with staff members about the steps needed to become eligible, and I thought I would do it. I send my best wishes to all the D'Tigress players."
WNBA star Liz Cambage got knocked out 😳https://t.co/9zhud2RsCQ
— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) August 9, 2023
Even though the Australian denies the allegations, videos showing her brawling with Nigerian players have gone viral on social media. Worse still, Nigerian players have piled more pressure on the former Opal. Veteran Promise Amukamara revealed: "She called us monkeys and told us to go back to our country." Sarah Ogoke said much the same: "Cambage spat racist abuse at us during our scuffle." Meanwhile, the Nigerian basketball federation denies any contact with Liz Cambage. The NBBF even maintains that the chances of seeing Cambage play for Nigeria are slim.
I’m sorry but this is False. Lol https://t.co/eQ0L9PQTNa
— Promise Amukamara, OLY (@iPromisee) August 7, 2023