Stories of doubts about the gender of athletes usually relate mainly to athletics, but now a strange trend has also touched football. At the African Women’s Championship, the Zambian national team had to make their debut in the tournament without their star player, striker and captain Barbara Banda. She was suspended for “medical reasons”.

Illness, injury, or maybe a deep depression covered the Zambian? No, everything is much more interesting. Several local journalists said that the true reason for Gang’s absence was the results of blood tests, which revealed excessively high testosterone levels, and a “masculine physique.”

The captain of the women’s team turned out to be… a man?!

Fans of the national team of Zambia demand an explanation

The head coach of the Zambians, Bruce Mwape, apparently does not fully understand why his 22-year-old player was suspended.

– As for the absence of Barbara Banda at the competition, I cannot tell you the real reasons. It would be better if you asked CAF, Mwape quotes Mundo Deportivo.

Barbara Banda / Photo: © BSR Agency / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

The lack of detailed explanations led the fans into indignation. They believe that the Zambian Football Federation is to blame for everything, and in particular, its inaction. It is also known that the Zambians received warnings about footballers Nachula Rachel and Rachel Kundanandji. During the last round of qualification for the 2020 Olympic Games, Cameroon’s representatives stated that these players are male.

The gang is a real goal machine

Whether Barbara is a man, competent people will find out. But, her absence from the African Championship was a big loss for Zambia, because Banda is a real goal machine. In the group stage matches at the 2020 Olympics, the football player scored six goals in two meetings: first she shipped a three-ruble note to the Netherlands, and then to China. Ganga thus became the first female player in Olympic history to score two hat-tricks in a row, and the first to score two hat-tricks in the same tournament. And in her rookie season in the Chinese Women’s Super League, she scored 18 goals in 13 matches to become the top scorer of the 2020 season. Agree, impressive!

Gender scandals are increasingly on the news agenda. For example, recently the German Football Association announced that transgender people will be able to independently choose which team to play for – women’s or men’s. Fans do not understand anything, many twist their fingers to their temples. And in Russia, the majority perceives this as savagery or even an anecdote, given the traditional views of our population.

Okay, let’s make mixed teams right away, let’s not separate women and men. We are looking forward to Marte Røiseland competing at the finish line with Johannes Beh or Ksenia Kovalenko giving an assist to her husband Denis Glushakov. Let’s have a laugh!

Sport should be equal for everyone, its cleanliness is now being monitored more carefully than usual. They check for doping at every opportunity, even small concentrations of dubious substances cause rage among the public (remember the scandal with Kamila Valieva). Therefore, the story with the Banda should be carefully studied, and the fans should be informed.