Basketball: Interview with professional Abdel Sylla |14 April 2020
Abdel Sylla
‘Sad state of Seychelles basketball,’ says Sylla
Seychellois professional basketballer Abdel Sylla has commented on the sad state of Seychelles’ basketball which has been out of action for almost a year.
Speaking to Sports NATION as he is back home from his busy European schedule with his latest French club Herminie Nantes Atlantique in the Pro B league, Sylla is not happy with the current state of basketball which has been stopped due to the Seychelles Basketball Federation’s financial irregularities leading it into trouble with the Office of Registrar. The unfortunate situation has dragged on for too long and is yet to be sorted out.
“The situation of Seychelles’ basketball is sad and I hope that they find a solution to resume playing for all basketball lovers and the youths as sport is a way to help people stay happy and basketball is a loved sport in this country,” related to Sports NATION the Seychelles national team’s star player who led the team to their finest hour with a gold medal at the 2011 Indian Ocean Islands Games on home soil.
The 29-year-old Sylla, who has spent over 10 seasons in the French league where he won the league in 2008 with SLUC Nancy in the Elite league, says that he had to return home due to the coronavirus which has forced the suspension of all sporting activities in France and in almost the entire world.
“Our club allowed all its foreign players to leave but they still send us our daily workout to stay in shape as we normally practice every day and the sports authorities in France are hoping we can resume playing during the summer time and in our case, we were doing fine as we won the Leaders Cup and we have already qualified for the playoffs. So, we were on a good role and it was a shame that we had to stop so abruptly. Therefore, I have to stay in shape if we are going to resume in the coming months,” Sylla told Sports NATION after returning to France this season after spending a year in the Swiss league with L’Union Neuchâtel Basket which is another achievement in his impressive professional career.
R. J-L.