Anonma: ‘I took off my clothes to prove I was a woman’

Equatorial Guinea female soccer star, Genoveva Anonma, had to be on her birthday suit just to prove her gender after she was accused of being a man in woman’s clothing.

After losing 4-2 to the Super Falcons of Nigeria in the 2010 Africa Women’s Championship, some players in the team suffered more humiliation.

Along with Ghana and South Africa, Nigeria accused Equatorial Guinea of fielding male players in the competition.

The three players under suspicion were sisters Salimata Simpore, who scored in the final, and Biliguisa Simpore, as well as Anonma.

“Just as they did in 2008, Equatorial Guinea played with at least two men,” Eucharia Uche, Nigeria coach said.

“The African union (Caf) must act immediately. If everything blows up next year in Germany, this could be terribly embarrassing for Africa.”

CAF did act, though, in the crudest method.

“They asked me to take all my clothes off in front of officials from CAF and the Equatorial Guinea team,” Anonma  said.  

“I was really upset, my morale was low and I was crying. It was totally humiliating, but over time I have got over it.”

Her country host the men version of the competition without one of her accusers, Nigeria, in attendance but to this day, Anonma’s biggest frustration remains that she has never been permitted to undergo medical gender testing that would have silenced her doubters.

“I was hoping they would call me to tell me they were taking me to hospital to do tests, but they never did,” she said.

“They did nothing to me. It was just down to me alone to defend myself, to state that I am not a man, I am a woman.”