The Uganda Silverbacks are flirting with a ban from international basketball once again.

The national men's basketball team is supposed to face Angola in Angola on Friday in a World Cup qualifier. But it is still in Kampala as of Thursday morning.

Why? What else but a lack of funds?

Local basketball body FUBA, who have just successfully hosted the FIBA Zone V Women's Afrobasket qualifiers in which the women's national team Uganda Gazelles finished second, have no funds to take the Silverbacks to Angola. 

Nor has the government given FUBA money for the three-game campaign, in which the Silverbacks are also scheduled to take on Ivory Coast and Guinea on Saturday and Sunday respectively. 

Uganda has been one of the rising stars of African basketball in recent years but the Silverbacks' on-court performances have been achieved in the face of unceasing financial difficulty. 

Missing the last window of the 2023 World Cup qualifiers would be the lowest point of the Silverbacks' struggles yet. What's worse, it would, according to regulations, result in a ban from international competitions of at least two years from the Africa basketball governing body FIBA Africa. 

Uganda finished sixth at the last continental AfroBasket Championships and is one of 12 countries in the final phase of African World Cup qualification. That profile is equally elevated by the presence on the team of NBA player Ishmail Wainwright and NCAA standout Arthur Kaluma. 

Failing to turn up for the World Cup qualifiers would do immeasurable to that reputation, not to mention the progress that has been made over the last 10 years.

Efforts by New Vision Sports to contact National Council of Sports top brass have been futile as they are currently engaged in an administrative retreat.