The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has announced that four players will not be part of Zambia’s women’s national team for their upcoming trip to China.
This decision comes in response to travel measures imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
The affected players are captain Barbra Banda, Racheal Kundananji, Prisca Chilufya, and Grace Chanda, all of whom play in the U.S. National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
Banda, Kundananji, and Chanda are with Orlando Pride, while Chilufya is with Bay FC. As a result, these players will miss the Yongchuan International Tournament later this month.
FAZ explained that the decision was made due to the “additional travel measures” introduced by the new U.S. administration.
Since Trump’s second term began, he has signed an executive order that creates a list of countries subject to partial or full travel suspensions.
While it remains unclear whether China is on this list, non-American residents have encountered increased challenges re-entering the U.S. recently.
To protect the well-being of the U.S.-based players, FAZ determined it was best for them to skip this trip.
“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,” Faz general secretary Reuben Kamanga said.
“They will definitely be available for future assignments as they were for the last window when we played Malawi.”
Zambia’s team is set to face Thailand on April 5, followed by a match against either hosts China or Uzbekistan on April 8.
