Reproduced with permission from Business Insider
EQUATORIAL GUINEA PLAYERS Salimata and Bilguisa Simpore were kicked off their women’s national soccer team today after Ghanaian players accused them of being men.
“You only need to have physical contact with them to know this, and we can tell from what happened most times during the match,” said Ghana’s Diana Ankomah, according to an ESPN report.
The report adds that “the allegations have never been proven and CAF have refused to comment on the matter.”
It also mentions that one of the siblings was accused of previously playing for both Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast.
The Simpores alleged gender has never been verified; kicking them off the team on the eve of the World Cup raises questions.
This is the second gender controversy involving African female athletes. In 2010 South Africa’s Caster Semenya was forced to take a gender test after winning the 800 meter race at the 2009 World Champions.