Four women’s soccer players from Zambia have been removed from the national team ahead of upcoming internationals due to added challenges entering the United States.
The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) announced on Wednesday that captain Barbra Banda, Racheal Kundananji, Prisca Chilufya and Grace Chanda, all of whom play for clubs in the US, won’t be traveling to China for the Yangchuan International Tournament.
Travel to and from the US has become more difficult under the Trump administration with reports of detentions and visas being revoked for those entering the country.
The FAZ said that the decision to exclude the quartet from upcoming games owed to “additional travel measures” being introduced by the new administration.
“I wish to confirm that the Orlando Pride trio of Barbra Banda, Grace Chanda and Prisca Chilufya as well as Rachael Kundananji of Bay FC will not be available for the two international friendly matches in China,” general secretary Reuben Kamanga said in the announcement from FAZ.
“After working through the process instigated by recently introduced measures it was decided that it is in the best interest of our players to skip this assignment.
“They will definitely be available for future assignments as they were for the last window when we played Malawi. The technical bench has since roped in replacements to ensure that the team remains competitive.”
Kamanga added that the decision was made after receiving advice from the United States of America Zambian mission in Washington, as well as Orlando Pride and Bay FC.
Zambia’s women’s national team, nicknamed the Copper Queens, will face Thailand at the Yangchuan International Tournament in Chongqing, China on April 5. A win would see them face either the host nation or Uzbekistan in the final on April 8.
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