Zambia football stars warned off China event over Trump's travel restrictions

Zambia's soccer federation says four of its US-based players have been withdrawn from the squad set to travel to a tournament in China because of US travel restrictions.

The four — Barbra Banda, Rachael Kundananji, Prisca Chilufya and Grace Chanda — will not be able to compete at the Yongchuan International Tournament, an invitational women's event, “owing to additional travel measures introduced by the new administration in the United States,” Zambia Football Association general secretary Reuben Kamanga said in a statement.

Banda, the team captain, Chanda and Chilufya play for Orlando Pride, and Kundananji was under contract with San Jose-based Bay FC in the National Women's Soccer League.

The Zambia FA did not say what “travel measures” it was referring to.

But the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, stepped up checks of foreign student visa holders, and a potential ban on travel from some countries has made many foreigners who live in the US question whether they should travel abroad lest they have difficulty re-entering the country.

Trump’s executive order

In an executive order signed in January, Trump told his Cabinet members to submit a report within 60 days that identifies countries with vetting so poor that it would “warrant a partial or full suspension” of travelers from those countries to the U.S.

US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said last month that the review was ongoing and no list had been finalized. It’s unclear whether China will be on the list.

"After working through the process instigated by recently introduced measures it was decided that it is in the best interest of our players to skip this assignment,” Kamanga said.

“They will definitely be available for future assignments as they were for the last window when we played Malawi. The technical bench has since roped in replacements to ensure that the team remains competitive.”