The Zambia women’s national team has removed four US-based players from their squad.
The country’s football federation stated that this decision was made due to concerns over Trump’s immigration policy. Under the new policies, there are uncertainties regarding leaving the country and re-entering the United States.
In March, a French scientist was detained upon arriving in Houston for a conference, and his phone was searched.
Zambia is set to play two matches—one against China and the other against either Uzbekistan or Thailand.
Star player Barbra Banda will not be available for these matches. Similarly, her teammates Prisca Chilufya, Grace Chanda, and Bay FC’s Rachael Kundananji will also not be included in the squad.
The Zambia Football Federation stated that the decision was made “due to additional travel measures introduced by the new administration in the United States.”
It was also mentioned that the decision was made in consultation with the Zambian mission in Washington DC and the respective NWSL clubs.
The General Secretary of the Zambia Football Federation, Rueben Kamanga, commented on the matter:
“After reviewing the process instigated by the recently introduced measures, it was determined that skipping this assignment is the best decision for our players,”
“Our players will definitely be available for future matches, just as they were in our last game against Malawi.”
The Trump administration has canceled visas for many foreign nationals and deported legal residents.
The reasons for these actions include criticizing Trump and suspicions of gang affiliations. However, there are claims that some of these measures were not carried out correctly.