Barbara Banda has finally received the recognition she deserves. Fresh off a triumphant season with both club and country, the Orlando Pride forward was awarded the 2024 BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year on Tuesday. However, the spotlight on this remarkable achievement was quickly overshadowed by J.K. Rowling, who launched a shocking critique of Banda’s accolade. Fortunately, Megan Rapinoe stepped up to defend the Zambian star, delivering a heartfelt and resolute message of support, stating, ‘We’re with her.’

After this emphatic award victory, a dedicated collaboration post was shared by the NWSL, Orlando Pride, and Banda’s Instagram accounts that had a carousel of pictures of the 24-year-old forward. Additionally, the first slide read a statement from Banda saying, “To the young girl in Africa dreaming big, keep that dream and work hard, am telling you it does come true.”

However, as JK Rowling’s anti-transgender online attack surfaced, Megan took to Instagram stories and shared this post with a supportive message saying, “It’s incredibly important to not only use my platform to get a message like this and partner with Incyte but also to help people empower them to make a difference in their own communities. For me, I wasn’t able to help my brother without my friends, families, and my teammates.”

“They really stepped up and supported me through this battle and we’re there after he passed away and they continue to be such an important part of what I’m able to do,” she wrote, before adding another message to all the Banda’s critics, stating, “and to all the hateful little people out there hate hate hatin, HOP TF OFE, yall are sad.”

Interestingly, Rapnioe’s support didn’t end here. The USWNT icon added another Instagram story by sharing a post addressing how Banda was attacked by JK Rowling following her Footballer of the Year win. Additionally, she wrote another supportive caption stating, “She’s with us, we’re with her.”

Indeed, it’s quite heartwarming to see Megan Rapinoe take a stand for Banda. But what exactly did JK Rowling say for the Zambian international that has created an uproar among a few?

What did JK Rowling say about Orlando Pride and Zambian forward Barbra Banada?

Shortly after being crowned as the BBC’s Women’s Footballer of the Year, Barbra Banda was targeted by anti-trans critics in the UK, including J.K. Rowling. The English author, along with many others, was involved in pushing a false narrative that the Orlando Pride star is a “man” unfairly competing in women’s sports, suggesting that the BBC’s decision to honor Banda was intentionally provocative toward cisgender women. Notably, Rowling went as far as to imply that the BBC “decided this was more time efficient than going door to door to spit directly in women’s faces.”

Remarkably, this criticism stemmed majorly from an incident that dates back to 2022. Banda was apparently barred from participating in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) due to alleged high testosterone levels flagged by a “sex verification” test. Then again, details on these allegations remain unclear as last year, the Associated Press reported that Banda’s agent, Anton Maksimov, had denied that Banda went through such tests, with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) reportedly having no set testosterone limit for players.

Then again, Rowling and many others kept hold of their stance. Fortunately, someone like Megan Rapinoe was able to come in support of Barbra Banda.