Curiously, the critics of Barbra Banda’s BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year win were quieter at her inclusion in the FIFPRO Women’s World XI, voted for by 7,000 fellow players.
It was, on the surface, further recognition of Banda’s extraordinary 2024. She was the NWSL’s MVP, whose 17 goals, including one in the Championship final, secured Orlando Pride’s first title. Her four goals at the Paris Olympics, including a first-half hat-trick against Australia, took her to 10 goals across two Games to make her the leading African scorer in Olympic history. All the usual boxes, then, checked in time for awards season. So far, so normal.
More deeply, this sent out another message. For those who want to see Banda chased out of women’s football, being selected in the World XI by so many fellow players was a sign of how few in the game are remotely engaged in their cause. It made it all the more surprising, then, that the NWSL as a league remained silent as Banda became a lightning rod for hate.
As the fixation on eligibility in women’s sports has increased, it has prompted intense reactions to situations people may not fully understand. In Banda’s case, these related to reports from July 2022 that she was ineligible to compete in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations due to…
