Dispute could affect basketball sponsorship, warns Tashobya

FUBA supremo Ambrose Tashobya has expressed concerns about the negative impact on sponsorship that could result from the on-going dispute between Friday Night Lights (FNL) and Lites Up.

The battle has swelled in recent weeks and is threatening to create a rare divide in local basketball after FUBA decision's last week to sanction the breakaway Lites Up event ahead of the highly-popular and successful five-year FNL tournament.

Tashobya told the New Vision in an interview on Tuesday that the decision to side-line FNL was "unfortunate but we had to make hard choices when it came to choosing between the two events".

The FUBA president explained that, "We could not accommodate the two events in the short period of time before the start of the league so it is unfortunate we had to choose one. We always knew FNL was Kinetic Management so when they came up with Lites Up, we allowed them.

"It was only later that we discovered that FNL (Limited) and Kinetic Management were two different entities."

Tashobya then acknowledged the potential sponsorship danger that could be generated by the negative publicity surrounding this fallout. Keep in mind that FNL have had an enviable record in attracting sponsors in a resounding approval of the event throughout its history.

Consequently, Tashobya said, "I hope that this incident does not antagonise sponsors and I think that will come down to how it's reported in the media".

He added, "It is sad that people who had worked so well together had this disagreement but it was always difficult for us to come in as referees because we don't know much about their (original) understanding."