Martina Navratilova furious after Zambia's Barbra Banda, despite reportedly failing gender verification test, wins BBC Women's Footballer of the Year

Martina Navratilova expressed her frustration after Barbra Banda was named the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year, despite reportedly failing a gender verification test. Banda is a Zambian footballer who plays as a striker for the National Women's Soccer League club Orlando Pride in Florida and she was nominated alongside four other footballers for the honor.

Banda has had an impressive career so far, winning the Golden Boot in her first season at the Chinese Super League in 2020, as well as the COSAFA Women's Championship Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards in 2022. She was also nominated for this year's Women's Ballon d'Or.

However, controversies have surrounded Barbra Banda's career. In 2022, she was named in Zambia's squad for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco but was not allowed to participate after reportedly testing high for testosterone levels.

Despite these issues, Banda was named the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year for 2024, beating out other notable nominees such as Aitana Bonmati, Naomi Girma, Caroline Graham Hansen, and Sophia Smith. The decision was made based on votes from readers of the BBC Sport website

In light of these, Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies took to social media to criticise the decision, calling it "ridiculous" that a player who had failed a gender eligibility test due to high testosterone levels was named Women's Footballer of the Year.

“Just bl*ody ridiculous," Davies posted on X (formerly Twitter).

18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova Navratilova also took to social media to agree with Davies' stance of Barbra Banda being named Women's Footballer after she failed a gender verification test.

“Yup," Navratilova posted on X.

Martina Navratilova: “Sex category applies to sports, male bodies are different from female bodies"

Martina Navratilova speaking to the press [Source: Getty]

While speaking at the 'Politics War Room with James Carville & Al Hunt' podcast, Martina Navratilova stated that identity of a person and sex of a person are different things.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion said that the sex of a person matters in sports, especially in women's sports as male bodies are vastly different from female bodies.

"Identity is one thing, but identity does not apply to sports. Sex category applies to sports. Male bodies are different from female bodies" Navratilova said (52:25).

Navratilova added:

"When it comes to female sex-based spaces, which includes sports, then I think we need to put a line there and say 'We just really need this space to be female.' And that's the end," she added.

Martina Navratilova has previously stated that she isn't against trans rights. She expressed that she is also in favor of civil rights for transgender people, just not them competing in women's sports.