Zambia striker told she CAN play at WWC despite failing gender eligibility test

Zambia captain Barbra Banda has been permitted to play at the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this month despite having previously failed a 'gender eligibility test'.

Banda, who scored twice to marshal Zambia to a shock 3-2 win over Germany in a warm-up friendly last Friday, was banned from featuring at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations after demonstrating excessively high levels of testosterone during a 'gender eligibility test' ahead of the tournament.

Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and affects developmental changes in men during their adolescence - heightening bone density and muscle strength among other things.

However, Banda is allowed to play at the Women's World Cup this month because FIFA have permitted teams to undergo their own internal investigations.

The governing body told German outlet BILD: 'The World Cup participants assure that they carry out their own investigations and that they clearly show that their players are female.'

Before the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany, female players were required to have their genitalia identified by a doctor commissioned by FIFA.

The nature of these gender eligibility procedures has been heavily criticised by some former players, with ex-Sweden star Nilla Fischer writing in her biography: 'We were told that we should not shave "down there" in the coming days and that we will show our genitals to the doctor.'

Nowadays, DNA tests or blood tests are issued on a case-by-case basis - and physical tests are only carried out in exceptional circumstances. This means the vast majority of players are not examined.

Banda, 23, is a forward for Chinese outfit Shanghai Shengli and has scored 30 goals for Zambia since her debut in 2016.

Despite missing out on the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, Banda competed at the 2020 Olympic Games, making history by scoring two hat-tricks in Tokyo.

The striker was once a keen boxer, having started at the age of 14, and won five professional bouts before opting to focus on football.

Banda, who was born in the Zambian capital Lusaka, played football with boys during her formative years as the academy she attended did not have a girls team.

Zambia will face Spain, Costa Rica and Japan in the group stage at the tournament, facing the latter in their first World Cup match on July 22.