Zambia striker Barbra Banda is nominated for BBC Women's Footballer of the Year

Zambian striker Barbra Banda has been nominated for the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year prize, despite the star having been at the centre of a gender eligibility row.

Banda has been included as one of five nominations for the annual prize, alongside Naomi Girma, Caroline Graham Hansen, Sophia Smith and reigning Ballon d'Or holder Aitana Bonmati.

The forward became the second most expensive women's signing in history after joining Orlando Pride for £581,000 last year.

Banda, who captains the Zambia national team, scored four goals at the Paris 2024 Olympics including scoring a hat-trick against Australia.

In the process, Banda became the highest scoring African player in Olympic history by reaching 10 goals.

She is the only player to have scored three hat-tricks at the Olympics having netted three in consecutive matches in Tokyo in 2021.

Her hat-trick against the Matildas caused controversy, with Olympics bosses criticised for allowing Banda and team-mate Racheal Kundananji to feature.

The Zambian duo were initially reported to have failed gender eligibility tests ahead of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in 2022.

Banda addressed her controversial omission from the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in a BBC interview earlier this year, admitting it was 'very difficult' to miss the tournament.

She was removed from the squad the day before the tournament after her testosterone levels were adjudged to be naturally overly high.

'All players had to undergo gender verification, a Caf [Confederation of African Football] requirement, and unfortunately she did not meet the criteria set by Caf,' Andrew Kamanga, Zambia Football Association (FAZ) president had told BBC Sport Africa.

CAF had denied the organisation had made a decision over Banda's eligibility, with FAZ ultimately having ruled the forward out due to the continental body's guidelines.

Banda was reported to have taken medication to reduce her testosterone levels, but they had not come down quickly enough to be eligible to compete at the tournament.

Banda has competed at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympic Games either side of the tournament, as well as last year's FIFA Women's World Cup.

Both featured for Zambia at the Paris Olympics earlier this year, where Zambia missed out on advancing from the group stage.

According to the International Olympic Committee's 2021 guidelines on gender identity and sex variations, the organisation aims to ensure that 'athletes are not excluded solely on the basis of their transgender identity or sex variations' while also striving to create an environment in which 'no participant has an unfair and disproportionate advantage over the rest'.

FIFA's rules on trans athletes state that participating member associations - like the CAF or Football Australia - must 'prior to the nomination to the national team, ensure the correct gender of all the players to be considered... by actively investigating any perceived deviation in secondary sex characteristics'.

Several critics have pointed to the eligibility row to question Banda's nomination for the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year award.

'"Ineligible [for World African Cup of Nations] ... testosterone levels were adjudged to be naturally overly high." So male T levels. Not "overly high" for a male,' one wrote.

'Assume XY DSD. Yet contender for BBC Women's Footballer of the Year. Disgraceful.'

'Women and girls should be entitled to take part in sport fairly segregated by sex,' another said. 'For our national broadcaster BBC Sport to celebrate anything less is a disgrace.'

Banda has reacted to her nomination by stating it was a 'big privilege and honour to be nominated alongside some very amazing talents in the beautiful game'.

The winner of the 10th edition of the award is set to be announced on November 26.

The prize is voted for by the public, but the votes cast until October 28.