The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), a players’ association and two teams have denounced fans’ transphobic and racist abuse of Orlando Pride striker Barbra Banda.
NWSL issued a statement on Monday (24 March) following reports of fan behaviour at the Sports Illustrated Stadium, in Harrison, New Jersey.
Orlando, the league and the association, were joined by Gotham FC, whose home game with Pride was marred by the behaviour, to criticise the fans after their comments were flagged in an online forum by a season-ticket holder.
‘Exceptional player and person’
“We are united in our message: this behaviour is unacceptable and has no place in our league or in our stadiums,” a spokesperson for NWSL said.
The league will work with Gotham FC to investigate the incident and take action, they added. “Barbra Banda is an exceptional player and person, and the NWSL is immensely proud to support her as a member of our league.”
Cisgender woman Barbra Banda faced similar abuse last year after being named the BBC women’s footballer of the year. She was left out of Zambia’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations team in 2022 after allegedly been found to have high testosterone levels.
Banda was assigned female at birth and does not identify as transgender.
Although details were not made public, the Zambian Football Association claimed she had failed a gender-verification test. The following year, world governing body FIFA ruled her eligible for the World Cup.
A statement from Orlando Pride echoed that from the NSWL, adding: “Barbra is an outstanding role model and an influential advocate for soccer both in Africa and here in the United States”.
The statement went on to say that “proper action” would be taken to “hold individuals accountable [for] violating the league’s standards”.
Gotham confirmed that it was investigating and will take action under the league’s fan code of conduct. The National Women’s Soccer League Players Association announced that it too was standing against “hateful behaviour”.
Banda was a “generational talent” who “deserves to be treated with dignity and respect”, a spokesperson for the association added.
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