NJ/NY Gotham FC has revoked a fan’s season tickets and banned them from future team events and matches after an investigation found the person violated the NWSL Fan Code of Conduct when they directed “hateful language” toward Orlando Pride striker Barbra Banda, the club announced Wednesday. Gotham again condemned the unidentified fan’s actions at the team’s March 23 home opener against the Pride and reiterated the club’s goal of creating a “safe” environment for everyone. “Threatening, abusive or discriminatory behavior or language of any kind has no place at Gotham FC events,” Gotham FC said in a statement. “Our club and the NWSL are committed to creating a welcoming, safe and enjoyable matchday experience for all players, staff and fans.” Gotham became aware of inappropriate taunts being directed at Banda when another fan reported the incident to Sports Illustrated Stadium security during the game. Security responded to the incident and spoke to at least one fan, but didn’t remove them. Additional security was also sent to the section to monitor the situation for the remainder of the game. No further incident developed, Gotham said at the time. Per league policy, Gotham filed an incident report to the NWSL that night alerting them to the allegations. A fan who identified as a Gotham season-ticket holder in section 102 who witnessed the alleged incident posted on Reddit the morning after the match, saying they were “shocked and disgusted” by people who “expressed bigotry towards Barbra Banda that stemmed from the racist, transphobic conspiracies that were spread about her after she earned BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year award last year.” The Reddit post continued, in part, “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.” Shortly after the Reddit post started to gain traction, Gotham, the Pride and the NWSL released joint statements condemning the alleged player abuse. “We are united in our message: This behavior is unacceptable and has no place in our league or in our stadiums,” the statements said. Banda, 25, faced anti-trans attacks in November, notably from author J.K. Rowling, after she scored the winning goal in the 2024 NWSL Championship and was named BBC World Footballer of the Year. Those online attacks were largely based on a 2022 controversy in which Banda was barred from playing in that year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations — a World Cup qualifying event — reportedly because of her testosterone levels. Banda played in the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics for Zambia. Gotham said the club spent more than a week interviewing witnesses, including fans and stadium personnel, as well as reviewing security footage of the incident before banning the fan. The team also said fans attending games can report inappropriate behavior through an encrypted text message service, called Raven Eye, by texting complaints to 973-566-5001.