Zambia striker causes a stir with testosterone levels

Zambia’s striker Barbra Banda scored two goals against the DFB women. Your person is not without controversy and causes discussions.

Barbra Banda showed that she can score goals in a test against the DFB women. The striker from Zambia scored two goals. In terms of sport, the 23-year-old caused a stir. But Banda is also discussed off the field. Because: The testosterone levels of the footballer are high.

As high as is usually only usual in men. The hormone testosterone is considered to be performance-enhancing. Banda was not allowed to take part in the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco last year. Shortly before the start of the tournament, she was disqualified for failing a “gender verification procedure”. This was announced by the African Football Association CAF at the time.

The African Football Association has set a testosterone limit for its competitions, exceeding which female athletes can be excluded. The case has sparked controversy. Fifa leaves gender verification to national federations. A regulation like that of the World Athletics Association does not yet exist in football.

In athletics, female athletes are only allowed to start if their testosterone level does not exceed a certain value. Banda will be there at the upcoming Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. In the past she completed the Olympic Games in Tokyo and caused a sensation with two hat-tricks.

Sarai Bareman, who has been Fifa’s chief women’s football officer since 2016, recently told the BBC that the football scene is relatively “blank” when it comes to uniform gender regulations.

According to “Bild”, the offensive player is said to have problems from time to time due to her testosterone levels. As the newspaper reports, Banda’s move from Shanghai to Real Madrid in 2022 is said to have failed due to a gender test.

So it remains to be seen how Zambia will present itself at the upcoming Women’s World Cup with Barbra Banda – and whether there will be new discussions.