World Football’s Isaac Fanin shares how the US “travel measures” are impacting Zambia’s women’s team
World Football’s Isaac Fanin finds out more about how “travel measures” introduced by US President Donald Trump led to Zambia’s women’s team withdrawing four United States-based players from their squad for a tournament in China.
The Football Association of Zambia announced captain and BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year Barbra Banda, Racheal Kundananji, Prisca Chilufya and Grace Chanda would miss the Yongchuan International Tournament.
This comes after President Trump signed an executive order to draft a list of countries that will mean a partial or full suspension on visitors from some nations.
It is unclear if China is on the proposed list, but non-American residents have experienced increased difficulty in re-entering the country in recent months.
Sydney Mungala, communications manager at the Football Association of Zambia, tells World Football about the impact on the team’s preparations and the players and how it should be treated as a “wake up call” to other nations about the changes in the US.
Image: Gianni Infantino, president of the Federation International Football Association (FIFA), right, and US President Donald Trump, centre, during an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, March 7, 2025. (Photographer: Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
