Australian football commentator Lucy Zelic has taken aim at the International Olympic Committee for allowing two Zambian players to participate in Paris.
Australia and Zambia played out a sensational 11-goal thriller during their Group B clash on Sunday, with the Matildas coming from 5-2 down to secure an important three points to keep their Olympic hopes alive.
Zambia, similarly, impressed and will be left stunned by how they threw away a comfortable three-goal lead. Barbra Banda bagged a hat-trick for the African nation, with Racheal Kundananji scoring a brace.
Related articles
However, despite Zambia’s valiant performance, Zelic has questioned how their two goal scorers were even allowed to compete at the Olympic Games. Banda was not allowed to compete at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after allegedly failing a gender eligibility test and thus making her unqualified to compete in the eyes of FIFA.
Similarly, Kundananji was reportedly left out of the squad due to her hormone testosterone levels exceeding the Confederation of African Football limit.
After the Zambian duo had given Australia a fright last week, Zelic took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to question why the International Olympic Committee had allowed both Banda and Kundananji to compete.
The outspoken pundit said: “In 2022, Zambia women's national team forward, Barbra Banda and fellow players were denied the opportunity to represent their nation at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations after 'failing gender eligibility tests'.
“In addition to Banda, 'three teammates including striker Racheal Kundananji were also ruled ineligible to compete for Zambia in the World Cup-qualifying tournament'. However, in 2023, these players were cleared to play at the Women's World Cup because FIFA have permitted teams 'to undergo their own internal gender assessments'.
Are we ready to discuss the elephant in the room? I understand that it’s a sensitive subject but it’s worthy of both addressing and questioning. I’ve received a number of messages and tweets to this effect so let’s look at the facts before us.
— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) July 30, 2024
In 2022, Zambia women’s national… https://t.co/o5Kxzpfz9f
“We are entitled to ask questions. We are entitled to know why the failed gender verification tests conducted in 2022 were completely ignored by FIFA in 2023 and continue to be ignored in 2024.”
Despite Zelic’s line of questioning, the Matildas will be keen to focus on their next fixture rather than considering those who nearly caused them an upset in France. They are set to face the United States of America on Tuesday evening in what is a crucial contest in Group B, with Germany also impressing in the competition so far.
