FIFA Women's World Cup 2023: How Zambia Banda take conquer gender qualification wahala

Dis time last year, as one major women championships wan happun, Barbra Banda face disappointment as di ogbonge Zambia striker hear say she no fit contest for di Women Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon).

Di July 2022 competition dey important as na im dem dey take qualify for di World Cup, wey Zambia never ever reach, and no be just sake say di Copper Queens bin see am as anoda opportunity to lift di trophy.

But just one day before di finals start for Morocco, witout any sickness or anytin like dat, dem tell Banda say she no go play sake of gender qualification - reason wey she bin struggle to understand.

"E bin dey very difficult," di striker, 23, tell BBC Sport Africa.

Her by force no-show bin dey even confuse her more as par say di year before, she bin contest for di Olympic football competition, wey di football world governing body Fifa bin organise, and she perform well too.

But even though her name dey di original Zambia Wafcon squad, dem no see as pesin wey no qualify afta dem deicide say her testosterone levels dey naturally over-high.

Fast forward to Women World Cup, wey go start on Thursday and wia Zambia go face Japan, Spain and Costa Rica, and Banda don set to play again.

Although her confusion - and dat of many odas - dey understandable, na so too her happiness dey say dem allow her to compete for women football biggest event, wey Australia and New Zealand dey collabo to host di competition first 32-team finals.

"Na dream come true," Banda wey bin watch di Morocco match from di stand as her team-mates make history by winning third position for di first time, tok wit relive.

Di team win for Wafcon mean say dem get place to play for di World Cup.

"Evri player dream na to play for bigger level, and di World Cup na di highest level of football, so I dey very happy and excited."

Rule Change

Days afta Wafcon disqualify Banda, kaala burst cry sake of her absence as both di Zambia FA (Faz) and di Confederation of African Football (Caf) bin no see eye to eye for di mata.

"All players gatz do test to prove dia gender, as par Caf requirement, and unfortunately she bin no meet di requirement wey Caf set," Andrew Kamanga, Faz president, tell BBC Sport Africa dat time.

Wen we ask how Banda go fit participate for di Olympics but not Wafcon, Caf director of tok tok tell BBC "dem no get any decision like dat from Caf medical committee".

Instead, wetin happun be say Faz officials bin remove Banda by demsef afta dem follow di rules wey di Africa football body make, wey be big problem as e different from Fifa own.

Caf rule say all female players must to do test before any competition, do gender verification or qualification test, whereas Fifa - wey dey leave am to federations to make sure say players meet di gender requirement - dey only ask for test if dem get complain about any player gender.

"Di difference wit di Fifa one dey very simple," Kamanga recently tell BBC.

"You must get protest, procedure and di player must give permission before dem make am do all dis tins. I tink Fifa rule dey respect di privacy of di pesin more dan di one."

Few days to Wafcon, Banda - wey dey play her club football for China - take medicine to her testosterone levels, still dem no come down enof by di time wey African championship start.

Still, small time afta di competition, she go back to continue play for Shanghai Shengli. Dis show di gender qualification rule wey Kamanga wan balance.

"Just like offside rule, wia everybody dey use di same rule, so dem suppose apply di same [gender criteria] from club level all di way through to national teams."

'Pull down your shorts'

Gender verification or prove to show say you be man or woman no be new tin for women sports, but e dey always cause wahala, and e dey affect athletes for developing world pass.

Today, medical test dey decide athlete gender through blood test, but e bin no dey like dis before.

Many sports women bin don go through different kain humiliating experience before, even coach Desiree Ellis - wey go lead African champions South Africa for di World Cup - dey among dem.

"Wen I join dis team, pipo come watch me play ball but dem bin no sabi say I be girl," di 60-year-old remember.

"Dat time I tiny, I bin tiny wit flat chest and as I do sometin, pipo go say she no be girl'."

"My papa go say 'pull your short knicker down' - and I do am - becos all I bin wan do na to play."

Di criteria for gender eligibility or qualification don seriously improve, but di mata still dey complicated, and Fifa dey currently review im own rules, wey e don set since 2011, wit hope say dia position go dey clearer soon.

"Na very complicated topic and many pipo get dia views," Fifa chief women football officer Sarai Bareman tell BBC Africa last year.

"Our work na to consider all di view, becos we really gatz understand every view, di research, evidence, individual situations and, of course, di human rights side of tins."

World Cup impact

For now, di first timers dey on Banda - Zambia first female footballer to turn professional - as di kontri dey try dia luck for senior World Cup, weda for men or women, for di first time.

For 2020 Olympics, Zambia also show for di first time but Banda ginger her team, as she become di first player to ever score back-to-back Olympic hat-tricks.

Last September, for her first competition since she miss Wafcon, she score 10 goals for just five games as di Copper Queens win dia first Cosafa Cup title, one South African region competition.

As di World Cup dey come, she don score three goals from four games, including di 3-2 win over Germany wey shock pipo.

"We dey expect tough challenge becos our group no easy," Banda tok. "But we go compete, not participate, and our main target na to expose oursef and reach final."

Di one no be small declaration for team wey dey number 77 position for world plus miss first-choice goalkeeper Hazel Nali through injury.

Still, Zambia World Cup qualification don already begin change pipo mind towards football - as schools dey develop more teams and more parents dey encourage dia daughter to play - and many, wey no just send her qualification palava, just wan be like Banda.

"IE mean a lot to me. To be inspiration to many girls and boys no easy, and I need to dey disciplined for anytin wey I don weda for pitch or outside pitch, but wetin mata pass na to inspire somebody."

Additional reporting by Piers Edwards