A footballer who missed a major tournament amid a gender eligibility dispute over high levels of testosterone has been named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year.
Zambia and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda received the most votes from readers of the BBC Sport website after being included in a five-player shortlist.
Banda’s inclusion in the race for the annual award was criticized by women’s rights groups because she had previously ruled herself out of the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in 2022 due to high testosterone levels.
His victory was announced today in a report on the BBC Sport website which made no mention of the controversy over his inclusion.
Second place went to Spanish and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati and United States and Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith was third, while fellow American Naomi Girma and Norway’s Caroline Graham Hansen were also nominated.
Zambia and Orlando Pride striker Barbra Banda has been named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year 2024 after triumphing in a vote involving a shortlist of five players
Banda, seen playing for Orlando Pride and passing Washington Spirit’s Tara McKeown last Saturday, thanked voters, her family and her teammates for helping her win the BBC award.
Banda (left) was on a shortlist of five tennis players for the award along with Spain’s Aitana Bonmati, Naomi Girma and Sophia Smith of the US and Norway’s Caroline Graham Hansen.
Banda, 24, said: ‘I am shocked and surprised to have this award by my side.
‘I would like to thank the people who voted and everyone who has played a role in my life and career: my family, my national team in Zambia and especially the Pride team. It’s for everyone.”
The Women’s Rights Network accused the broadcaster of “discrediting” women’s sport by including Banda on the shortlist.
The five nominees were chosen by a panel of experts involved in football from around the world, including coaches, players, administrators and journalists outside the BBC.
The corporation’s coverage today said: “This panel did not include any BBC staff, and the public voted for the winner.”
Banda was left out of Zambia’s squad for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations two years ago and at the time reports claimed she had failed a gender test.
It later emerged that tournament organizers did not test her, but she was pre-emptively omitted when team bosses realized her testosterone levels exceeded those allowed by the Confederation of African Football.
The former professional boxer, who was registered as female at birth, according to the Associated Press, was claimed to have refused to take suppressants to lower her levels for fear of possible side effects.
Barbra Banda, pictured playing for her club Orlando Pride in September, said of her individual award win: “I’m shocked and surprised to have this award by my side.”
Banda signed a four-year contract with Orlando Pride in March, earning around $2 million.
Barbra Banda becomes the tenth winner of the BBC Footballer of the Year award
An investigation last year by the Telegraph said there was no suggestion that Banda’s testosterone levels were “something that did not occur naturally”.
Her agent Anton Maksimov previously said it was not true that she had failed a gender test and that she was expelled based on an “assessment of her physical conditions.”
He said in a statement during the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations: “As her official representative, I can affirm that Barbra has not been banned or suspended from participating in the current WAFCON by CAF, FAZ, FIFA or any other governing body .
‘She has not undergone and, consequently, has not failed any “gender verification” or “gender eligibility test” administered prior to the tournament. Barbra is also perfectly healthy and fit.
‘The decision not to include Barbra in the tournament is an internal FAZ decision based on its own assessment of her physical conditions before coming to Morocco.
“I reiterate that nothing, no existing regulations that we know of, prevent Barbra’s participation in WAFCON 2022. Barbra has also not tested positive in any medical examination in this regard.”
However, there has been criticism of the recently announced decision to nominate her for the BBC award.
Campaign group WRN posted a furious statement on justice and security for women.
She said: “I would like to thank the people who voted and everyone who has played a role in my life and career: my family, my national team in Zambia and especially the Pride team.”
Banda, seen here playing for Zambia against Australia during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, received the most votes from readers of the BBC Sport website.
“If female footballers do not meet ‘gender eligibility’, this raises inevitable questions about their sex.”
Worldwide surfer Tracy Edwards also questioned why Banda was shortlisted when she wrote in @BBCSport Do you want to comment?!!!!’
Former Team GB Olympian Sharron Davies also got in the queue when she reposted Edwards’ message to her 254,000 followers on X.
And in response to a fellow
A BBC spokesperson said last month: “As well as playing in the last two Olympic Games and the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Barbra Banda plays for the Zambian women’s national team and in the US for Orlando Pride, making her fully eligible for nomination for the award.” that celebrates talent in women’s football.
“The shortlist of five players was decided by an expert panel made up of current and former professionals, coaches and journalists who analyzed the players’ achievements over the past 12 months to narrow down the shortlist for the prestigious award.”
Banda represented Zambia at Paris 2024, where she scored a hat-trick against Australia and became the all-time African top scorer in Olympic football history with 10 goals.
She became the second most expensive women’s footballer in history when American team Orlando Pride signed the international for $740,000 (£565,000) in March.
Barbra Banda has been filmed celebrating her award with colleagues from Orlando Pride
Former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies said the BBC “never fails to disappoint” and joined online criticism of Barbra Banda’s nomination for the latter award.
With a contract worth around $500,000 (£382,000) a year, Banda is one of the highest-paid players in the NWSL.
When Orlando Pride announced his signing, the club’s sporting director, Haley Carter, described Banda as “a natural goalscorer and one of the most physically imposing forwards in the world.”
Banda herself said in a BBC promotional video when the shortlist for the award was announced: “I want to be the best footballer in the world; everyone can read about me and say, ‘Okay, we had Barbra Banda.'”
‘For me it is very important to put on the Zambia shirt. We qualified for the Olympics and I managed to score another hat-trick. It was a great moment for me.”