A New York City-based Zambian media practitioner who attended the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) match between Gotham and Orlando Pride on Sunday, in which Barbra Banda was subjected to hateful language, has shared his account of the incident.
The NWSL, Orlando Pride, and Gotham FC have strongly condemned the behavior, labeling it “unacceptable” and stating that it has no place in the league or its stadiums.
In a statement, Gotham FC said that stadium security quickly intervened and spoke directly to the individual involved after the abuse was reported.
“Gotham FC and the NWSL are working together to further investigate the incident and take additional action where appropriate under the league’s Fan Code of Conduct,” the club said.
Felix Munyika, who was at the stadium during the incident, described the atmosphere as hostile. In an interview with BolaNews, Munyika confirmed that Banda, the Copper Queens striker, was bullied by home fans, who uttered hurtful language whenever she had the ball.
“The atmosphere at the home ground for Gotham FC was a bit hostile for the travelling team, largely because maybe it was the game opener for the home team, and they literally had, like, 95% of supporters in the stadium,” Munyika said. “And what would happen was that each time Barbra got the ball, there’d be a lot of people booing, saying whatever they can say about the athletes.”
Barbra Banda Was Booed
Munyika, also National Olympics Committee of Zambia Media Support Advisor and Coach Developer Coordinator, observed that this negative atmosphere seemed to affect Banda’s performance.
“From that, we could see that it was affecting the performance of the player. And, I don’t know if it was just a coincidence, but most of the time when she is fouled, the referee will blow against it, and when Barbra tries to protest that, the stadium will be booing.”
Munyika supported the joint statement from Orlando Pride, Gotham FC, and the NWSL, acknowledging that the hostility towards Banda was unnecessary. “So even the statements that have come out, I think it was a bit expected because people were just saying whatever they could say. You understand? And then for us, we were a small team, and we tried to cheer for the Orlando Pride. But, again, it was just hostile. Like, you can see these people are not happy that the player is here having a good game. She’s trying her best.”
“The football culture is not the same as back in the country, where there’s a lot of noise, you know, people cheering for the players and whatnot. So it’s a bit quiet per se. They don’t really make that noise. If someone is saying something in the stands, it’s very easy for the athlete to hear what the person is saying,” he explained.
READ MORE: NWSL Condemns Fan Abuse Targeting Barbra Banda
