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Copper Queens' captain Barbara Banda has been given the all-clear to play at the World Cup despite previous struggles with gender eligibility tests
Zambia’s star forward Barbara Banda has been cleared to represent the country at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup despite failing a gender eligibility test.
Zambia receive major World Cup boost
Banda missed the 2022 Women’s AFCON after showing a heightened level of testosterone during gender eligibility tests ahead of the tournament in Morocco, leaving Zambia without one of the best players in their squad.
There were fears that the situation could repeat itself ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, but those fears have been put to rest after Banda was given the greenlight to participate in the tournament.
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The Shanghai Shengli forward was cleared by FIFA who deemed tests carried out by the Zambian FA sufficient to prove Banda’s eligibility.
A spokesperson for FIFA told German publication BILD “The World Cup participants assure that they carry out their own investigations and that they clearly show that their players are female.”
Zambia looking to shock the World in Australia and New Zealand.
Despite Banda’s absence, Zambia finished in a respectable third position at the 2022 Women’s AFCON after beating Nigeria in the third-place play-off to claim a place at the 2023 World Cup.
With their star forward cleared to join the squad at the World Cup, the Copper Queens will be hoping to make a splash in Australia and New Zealand when they make their first appearance in Women’s football’s most illustrious tournament.
The debutants who will be taking on Spain, Japan, and Costa Rica in Group C showed their quality with a deserved 3-2 friendly win over Germany as part of World Cup preparations, with Banda scoring twice.
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