Megan Rapinoe Promotes NWSL Star's Win Despite Gender Eligibility Test Controversy

Former US women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe has defended Barbra Banda, who the BBC named Women's Footballer of the Year despite controversy surrounding the player's eligibility in Africa.

Banda withdrew from Zambia's squad for the African Women's Cup of Nations in Morocco after failing to meet gender eligibility criteria in 2022, the BBC previously reported. Banda was cleared to participate in the Paris Olympics and became the second-highest scorer in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) this season, playing for the Orlando Pride.

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Megan Rapinoe attends the women's gold medal match between France and the United States at the Paris Olympics on August 11, 2024. (Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Despite failing to qualify, Banda was still named an honoree, while transgender inclusion in women's sports became a hot topic in the United States and abroad.

Rapinoe spoke out in a message posted to her since-expired Instagram Stories.

“You have excited, entertained and inspired us and the world all year long,” Rapinoe wrote on Friday via Goal.com. “It's so deserved, just like every one of your accomplishments. You are so much bigger than the little people who are trying to tear you down.”

The 2024 season with the Pride was the first for Banda, who scored 13 goals in 22 matches.

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Barbra Banda of Zambia celebrates after scoring against Costa Rica during the FIFA Women's World Cup at Waikato Stadium on July 31, 2023, in Hamilton, New Zealand. (Hannah Peters – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Orlando was 18-6-2 and won the NWSL championship for the first time in league history. Banda scored the only goal of the match.

Rapinoe is a passionate advocate for LGBTQ rights and trans inclusion in women's sports.

She said in July 2023 that she would support a transgender player on the United States women's national team.

“Absolutely,” she told Time magazine last year. “'You're taking the place of a 'real' woman', that's the part of the argument that is still extremely transphobic. I consider trans women to be real women. What you automatically say in the argument, you kind of say it yourself already – that you don't believe these people are women.

Megan Rapinoe of Team USA during the match against Australia at the Tokyo Olympics on July 27, 2021 in Kashima, Japan. (Hector Vivas – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

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“Therefore, they take the other place. I don't feel that way.”

Jackson Thompson of Fox News contributed to this report.

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