Zambia reach the upcoming Women’s World Cup as the Copper Queens booked their place at the semi-finals of the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after beating Senegal on Wednesday night.
Also Read : WAFCON 2022 : ZAMBIA BEATS SENEGAL ON PENALTIES TO REACH SEMI-FINALS, BOOKS WORLD CUP TICKET
Team captain Barbra Banda who has been ruled out of the competition for gender proof issues, backing her teammates in writing history for their country.
“I can’t be more proud of what this team has achieved. You did, we did it.” Banda wrote in an emotional congratulatory Twitter post.
“We go to the World Cup. The dream is now a reality. I am with you all the way.” Continued her statement.
The respect between the Zambia national team and their captain is very much mutual.
Following their win over Senegal in the WAFCON quarter-final, the official Copper Queens Twitter account posted a video of the players celebrating after the match and dedicated the win to their captain.
“This was for skipper @BarbraBanda11. We can’t wait to have you back,” The caption read.
Banda has been unable to represent Zambia at WAFCON 2022 and has been forced to celebrate her country’s historic achievement from home.
Also Read : WHY IS ZAMBIA STAR BARBRA BANDA RULED OUT WAFCON 2022?
The 22-year-old was banned from competing after failing gender eligibility tests earlier this month.
Banda, who rose into the spotlight during the 2020 Olympics, reportedly returned blood tests with excessively high levels of testosterone. And she therefore did not meet the criteria of gender verification set by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
According to Amanda Kamanga, the president of Zambia’s FA, CAF made the decision to ban the forward from competing at the tournament.
“Everybody at home [in Zambia] has been made to believe that FAZ did nothing and decided on their own to exclude the player.” Kamanga told BBC Sport Africa.
“We the federations are compelled to undertake the tests. And then we pass on the information to CAF, and CAF, equally, test the players if needs be in the tournament.
“So it will be unfair to turn around and say CAF is not part and parcel of whatever has transpired.” Kamanga added.
Banda was taking medication to reduce her levels of testosterone and was initially named in the Zambia squad for AFCON. Despite this, she was still unable to meet regulations and was suspended from competing, according to BBC Sport Africa.
FIFA is reportedly preparing a verdict on Banda’s current situation. And the world football body has issues with CAF’s gender verification document. FIFA could be in a position to overturn the decision to suspend Banda, as well as sanction the CAF official who permitted the use of the document.
While Zambia was making their Olympics Games debut in 2020, Banda became the first female footballer to score back-to-back hat-tricks in the tournament.
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