The Football Association of Zambia withdrew four NWSL players from the women’s national team’s roster for this month’s Yongchuan International Tournament in China, citing concerns about the United States’ new travel policies.
The Orlando Pride trio of Barbra Banda, Grace Chanda and Prisca Chilufya were called up for the games, as was Bay FC’s Rachael Kundananji. The group, though, will no longer make the trip during this international window to avoid issues upon their attempts to re-enter the U.S. to resume play with their club teams.
“FAZ general secretary Reuben Kamanga says the four players … will not be available owing to additional travel measures introduced by the new administration in the United States of America,” the association wrote in a Wednesday statement. “Kamanga says acting on the advice of key offices among them the United States of America Zambian mission in Washington and the two clubs for the players; the best decision was to withdraw the players from the China assignment.”
The players are expected to be available again for future games.
It is not clear which specific travel policies have caused concern for the FAZ. Under the second Trump administration, a number of foreign-born individuals have been stopped by border patrol and held in detention centers for weeks despite holding valid tourist permits or work visas, while green card holders have also been detained and transferred to ICE facilities.
