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Orlando Pride's Barbra Banda controls the ball during the second half of a game against NJ/NY Gotham FC on March 23, 2025 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The NWSL, Gotham FC and Orlando Pride addressed “an incident involving hateful language at Barbra Banda,” in statements released Monday. The incident occurred during the Orlando Pride’s 2-0 win over Gotham FC on Sunday at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
“We are united in our message: this behavior is unacceptable and has no place in our league or in our stadiums,” the NWSL statement reads. The same sentiment is echoed by Gotham’s and Orlando’s posts.
“Stadium security swiftly responded to the incident once it was reported and directly addressed the individual, monitoring the situation for the remainder of the match. Gotham FC and the NWSL are working together to further investigate the incident and take additional action where appropriate under the league’s Fan Code of Conduct,” Gotham’s statement said.
“Gotham FC leaders on Monday reached out to the Orlando Pride to apologize for the incident and reiterate our unwavering support of Barbra Banda. As a club, we will always work to protect and reinforce the inclusive spirit of our Gotham FC and NWSL community, and we will hold responsible any individuals who violate or infringe upon those efforts and values.”
The NWSL statement says that the league is committed to making venues safe and respectful environments. “Barbra Banda is both an exceptional player and person, and the NWSL is immensely proud to support her as a member of our league,” it reads.
Orlando’s statement calls Banda “an outstanding role model and an influential advocate for soccer both in Africa and here in the United States.”
“We look forward to continuing to celebrate and support her on and off the pitch,” the Pride said.
A Gotham season ticket holder reported the experience in the stands via Reddit on Monday, writing that “multiple” Gotham season ticket holders in their section targeted Banda with what that fan deemed “bigotry,” stemming from racist and transphobic rhetoric.
“One fan got pulled aside by security after he cheered for Banda falling down and yelled, ‘She shouldn’t be on the field anyway!’ I was gratified to see security speak to him, but all he got was a warning,” the fan reported. They also said they had shared the incident with the team via a postgame survey sent via email, but then would also contact their sales representative with Gotham’s front office.
Gotham FC is reviewing footage of the incident via stadium security logs, and the team has spoken to the fan who reported the incident on Reddit as part of their ongoing investigation.
The behavior described by the Gotham season ticket holder violates the NWSL’s fan code of conduct, which Gotham FC includes as part of their matchday guide on the club’s website.
The relevant section reads, “Fans are strictly prohibited from using threatening, abusive, or discriminatory words, signs, symbols, or actions based on race, ethnicity, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, cultural identity, nationality, citizenship status, age, appearance, disability, and/or religion.”
Monday’s statement from the NWSL, in conjunction with the two teams, is a much quicker response from the league compared to online bad-faith attacks that targeted Banda last November.
“There were a lot of lessons learned, both about things that we could have done better to support [Banda], internally and externally,” NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman told NPR’s All Things Considered earlier this month. She also said the league is working to find a partner that can provide monitoring and protection services for players on social media.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Orlando Pride, Gotham FC, NWSL
2025 The Athletic Media Company
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