Wild new video of Liz Cambage’s fight amid refuted plan to play for Nigeria

Liz Cambage’s shock plan to play for the country she got in a fight with have been torched as new video emerged of the infamous incident.

New footage has emerged of the violent bust-up against Nigeria that saw Liz Cambage dumped from Australia’s team on the eve of the Tokyo Olympics.

Videos have been leaked to Twitter showing Cambage’s vicious elbow to the head of a Nigerian player during the scrimmage in 2021.

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Nigerian centre Victoria Macaulay then approaches Cambage on the Australian bench and lashes out with an open arm to her head in retaliation.

Cambage is then held back by her Australian Opals teammates as they attempt to prevent an all out brawl.

The footage of the violent altercation comes as Cambage revealed her shock plan to switch allegiances and represent Nigeria in a bid to revive her basketball career.

Those plans have since been slammed by the Nigerian basketball federation and Cambage herself has tried to walk back the original comments. More on that below.

Cambage hasn’t played for Australia since she allegedly told Nigerian players to “go back to their third world country” during a scrimmage ahead of the 2021 Games.

The 31-year-old has denied the allegations, despite numerous separate confirmations she made the comment — including from former Opals captain Jenna O’Hea.

WATCH THE ALTERCATION IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE

Footage from the scrimmage between Australia and Nigeria. Source: Twitter.

Now Cambage has broken her silence, repeating her denial to the Bleacher Report and making the shocking revelation she is in talks to play for Nigeria.

Asked why multiple players and sources from both the Australian and Nigerian teams claimed she made the remark, Cambage said: “A lot of girls don’t like me.

“I don’t really lean towards racially backed insults.

“That’s not how I go.

“I’m very pro-Black. I did not say these things to these girls.

“Leak the tapes. I’ve never owned the tapes. Leak the tapes. Y’all want to see the truth, leak the tapes. Everyone in Australia that has seen the tapes, still lying about what is on these tapes, leak the tapes.

Liz Cambage claims she is in talks to play for Nigeria. Photo: Bleacher Report.

“I want it out there. Put it out there. I’ve never owned it. I didn’t even have it when everything happened. I couldn’t even protect myself with it. I had to get lawyers to get a tape with my own assault on it.”

Pressed on why her side of the story is in stark contrast to other accounts, Cambage said: “Because the truth looks a lot worse for other organisations involved, than using me as a scapegoat.

“Why does Nigeria want me to leave Australia and go and represent them?”

“We’re filing for me to leave the Australian team, so I can represent Nigeria.

“I’ve been in cahoots, I’ve been talking to them since all of this happened.

“This is what I mean, people don’t know the truth.”

That interview was posted on Bleacher Report’s social channels on Tuesday this week.

Then on Wednesday, following a strong reaction to her comments from a number of sides, Cambage attempted to walk back some of those claims - while urging “the media and fans to fact-check before publishing and to avoid spreading unverified claims”.

Claims that were based on her own comments.

Still following?

pic.twitter.com/tYdQU4wGvG

— Elizabeth Cambage (@ecambage) August 9, 2023

After a long statement trying to clarify the fight and again refuting the racial slur claims that have been verified by members of both teams involved, Cambage wanted to “set the record straight” about switching countries.

“To set the record straight, I never stated that I had officially joined the Nigerian national team,” she wrote. “Instead, I expressed my interest in joining the team and representing Nigeria. I had discussions with staff members about the necessary steps to become eligible and thought I was doing them. I extend my best wishes to all players on D-Tigress.”

She later writes: “I also send well wishes to all my former teammates. Looking forward to seeing you all on the court.”

Australia's Lauren Jackson helped the Opals to a bronze medal at last year’s Women's Basketball World Cup. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

It is not clear which players or teams that is directed towards or what her future plans to return to the court actually look like.

Cambage has not played a professional game of basketball since July 2022.

She hasn’t represented Australia since the warm-up game incident before the 2021 Olympics and her WNBA career has stalled since she walked out on the Los Angeles Sparks last year.

Veteran Nigerian women’s basketballer Promise Amukamara also attempted to shut down Cambage’s switching claims, tweeting: “I’m sorry but this is False. Lol.

“She called us Monkeys & told us to go back to our country. Yes she said that!

“Literally everyone from both teams have the same story BUT her, so y’all do the math!

“& the only person she has been in “cahoots” w/ was the former coach of our National team & he’s no longer the coach, so there’s that!”

I’m sorry but this is False. Lol https://t.co/eQ0L9PQTNa

— Promise Amukamara, OLY (@iPromisee) August 7, 2023

A prominent Nigerian journalist, Colin Udoh, has also released information he claims to have received directly from the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF).

Udoh states that Cambage had “reached out to a NBBF official” to let them know the Bleacher Report interview was coming and about her comments related to switching national teams.

The reporter then states he had contacted that same official, who confirmed Cambage had sent them a text message that they had not replied to and then added “it would be easier for an elephant to pass through the eye of a needle, not even a camel” than for Cambage to play for Nigeria.

I’ve spoken to @nbbfonline leadership on this and got two things from them
1. There was actually a racist slur used which caused that game to be stopped
2. They are NOT in any talks with Cambage about representing Nigeria. https://t.co/2I3maixkS4

— Colin NOT Collins 🇳🇬🇺🇸 (@ColinUdoh) August 8, 2023

Cambage is of Nigerian descent and would in theory be eligible to play for the country, but it would take an extraordinary ruling by basketball’s governing body, FIBA.

In its official Internal Regulations, FIBA has an exception that allows the Secretary General to authorise a nationality change “if the change is in the interest of basketball”.

It would be hard to see that exception being granted in this case, even if NBBF was keen on the move.

In another post, Udoh has quoted NBBF vice president Babs Ogunade as stating: “Disregard the news. I don’t know who she’s talking to. Not me and definitely not (NBBF president Ahmadu Musa) Kida.”

Babs Ogunade @nbbfonline Vice President on @ecambage's comments about switching to represent Nigeria pic.twitter.com/ZbdsVORCnv

— Colin NOT Collins 🇳🇬🇺🇸 (@ColinUdoh) August 8, 2023

Australia’s Opals won bronze at last year’s FIBA Women’s World Cup without Cambage and coach Sandy Brondello has officially shut the door on her returning to the national side.

Cambage pleaded her case to be released from Australian representation.

“I have struggled a lot with the Australian team,” Cambage told Taylor Rooks on the Bleacher Report podcast.

Cambage wants to play for Nigeria. Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP.

“I’ve said it constantly. I’ve dealt with teammates with blackface, I’ve dealt with coaches lying, coaches pushing other athletes to talk badly about me in the media. There’s been a lot.

“I really hope Australia releases me and FIBA allows it because my fans miss me playing. I’d love to do another Olympics. Paris would be fab. There is nothing like an Olympic village, it is one of the most inspirational places ever.

“My last Olympics was hideous. Rio Olympics was horrible. Rio Olympics was one of the worst times of my life and that’s a reflection of the coaching staff and the team. I would love to start fresh with teammates that understand me, look like me, appreciate me and respect me. I have been talking with the Nigerian coach... he has my back.”

Liz Cambage’s basketball career is up in the air. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Cambage also claimed that she had not told Nigerian players to “go back to their third-world country” and instead had said different in light of her frustration about having to play in a Covid-affected Olympics.

“When this all happened a coach tried to be like, ‘You said this’, and I was like, ‘I didn’t say that’. I went to apologise to people (and said), ‘I don’t say these things. I don’t know if y’all are deaf but that’s not what I said’.

“I didn’t want these (Tokyo) Olympics to happen. I think I’d just been hit and I was on the bench drinking and I was like, ‘We should all go back to our f***ing countries. Like we should all go home’. I didn’t say anything third-world, I didn’t call anyone an animal, I didn’t call anyone the N-word.”

Cambage’s decision to quit the Sparks last year came in the wake of an excruciating press conference in which two of her Sparks teammates appeared like they wanted to be anywhere else but next to the Australian.

In the press conference, sisters Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike — who are Nigerian — were seen squirming uncomfortably and even rolling their eyes as Cambage spoke about her return to the team from a bout of Covid.