Women’s AFCON: The Atlas Lionesses pull off the feat of drawing with Zambian “women” of questionable testosterone levels
This Saturday, in a stadium bursting with hope and waving red flags adorned with green stars, the Atlas Lionesses kicked off the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations to the cheers of an enthusiastic Moroccan crowd. On the program: a thrilling clash with Zambia. The result? A 2-2 draw… and a massive question mark still hovering over the Moroccan turf: Were all these Zambian players truly women?
Facing the Moroccan side — graceful, technical, and feminine down to the studs on their boots — stood a Zambian squad with some “players” exhibiting a rather pronounced masculinity. Rugby-forward builds, booming voices, and raw physical strength that defied not only gender norms but possibly the basic principles of endocrinology.
But fear not — everything is “officially” in order. A Zambian passport marked “F” was apparently enough to settle the matter. No biological or morphological tests needed. A scandal? Absolutely. A déjà vu of another infamous Olympic case, when Algerian boxer Aymane Khelif posed as a woman with nothing but a passport and somehow walked away with a gold medal — shamelessly.
Back to our heroic Lionesses: they battled bravely, snatched a point, and showed the world that Moroccan women’s football doesn’t need testosterone boosts to shine. Morocco can rest easy tonight: its players are real women — and so are its values.
As for CAF, FIFA, and all the other prestigious acronyms out there — maybe it’s time to open your eyes? When the appearance of several Zambian “players” is enough to cause alarm at first glance… perhaps doubt is not so far-fetched.
Abderrazzak Boussaid / Le7tv
