Zambian player Barbra Banda honoured by the BBC as Female Footballer of the year

The winner of the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year has been announced! The winner of the trophy is Zambia and Orlando Pride star 24-year-old Barbra Banda who said she is “shocked and surprised” to win the award. Many other people were shocked too but perhaps not that surprised by the BBC’s choice. Others were spitting angry and dismayed.

Before switching to football to became the second most expensive female player in history after Orlando Pride paid $740,000 (£581,000) for her to join from Chinese side Shanghai, Barbra Banda was a boxer winning all five of her professional bouts.

Sex testing

In 2022 Banda was withdrawn from the Zambian squad for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco before the striker could undergo sex testing. The controversy was reported by the BBC at the time but not mentioned in its extensive coverage of the Women’s Footballer of the Year award.

BBC award criticized

Author of the best-selling Harry Potter series of books, J.K. Rowling, wrote on X that the award was like a spit on women’s faces.

Britain’s former round-the-world sailor Tracy Edwards described it as the “destruction of women’s sports”.

Olympian Sharron Davies wrote on X: “It’s so sad the BBC are actively encouraging the destruction & loss of opportunities for female athletes in sport. I’m so disheartened & disappointed they are actively cheering this unfairness on.”

‘No’ to abuse but ‘yes’ to sex screening

Since winning the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year award, Barbra Banda has received a great deal of abuse on social media – which The Kenya Forum does not condone – with hundreds of comments accusing her of being “a man” and “cheating” other female athletes out of the prize.

The Kenya Forum does however agree with British rowing Olympian (1992 Olympics) Tish Reid, who said the Banda case was “another example where obligatory sex screening would negate any rumours and controversy around individuals competing in the female sporting arena”.