Sport World Cup participant Zambia
“It’s normal for the coach to sleep with the players”
As of: 2:59 p.m. | Reading time: 3 minutes
Bruce Mwape, here with player Reachea Kundananji, faces serious allegations
Quelle: Corbis via Getty Images
Zambia is making its debut in the Women’s World Cup. Shortly before the start of the tournament, the newcomer made headlines. Coach Bruce Mwape has been accused of sexual misconduct, according to The Guardian.
A debate about the participation of the player Barbra Banda from Zambia because of abnormal testosterone levels has just overlaid the reporting in the run-up to the Women’s World Cup, when the next scandal from the African team follows. As the “Guardian” reports, the head coach of the Zambian women’s team has been accused of sexual misconduct.
According to this, Bruce Mwape, who has been working in his current role since May 2018 and helped Zambia to qualify for the World Cup for the first time, is the focus of internal investigations. In September 2022, the national football association – the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) – announced that it had forwarded an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse in women’s football to the world association Fifa. According to the Guardian, Mwape and U17 coach Kaluba Kangwa are said to have been among the employees investigated.
received threats
The English newspaper quoted a player in the report who did not want to be named. Speaking of coach Mwape, she told The Guardian: “If he wants to sleep with someone, you have to say yes. It’s normal for the coach to sleep with the players in our team.”
She also reported that some players had received threats – not from Mwape herself, but from others: “You will be threatened with punitive measures if you dare to say anything about the incident. The association turns a blind eye because the women have achieved good results. It is their way of showing success and a good image to the public and the authorities. But behind the scenes things are very ugly.”
Bruce Mwape (63) has led the Zambia women’s team since 2018
Quelle: Getty Images
A request from the “Guardian” to Mwape left unanswered and referred to the press office of the Zambian association. A FAZ spokesman, who was asked by the newspaper whether complaints about Mwape’s behavior had been received, referred to a statement made at the beginning of the investigation in autumn 2022. “Although we have not received any official complaints from anyone about the allegations, we hold these allegations very seriously and have launched an investigation into this matter,” said FAZ general secretary Adrian Kashala at the time: “We will work with the Zambian police and other relevant stakeholders to resolve this matter.”
sanctions announced
According to FAZ President Andrew Kamanga, the investigation was passed on to the police and Fifa to ensure that the national association was not accused of “partisanship”. “We prefer that an independent body like Fifa, which has the capacity to do so, can handle the investigations,” he said in October 2022. “We will definitely impose sanctions. We have enough rules and regulations in football to deal with.”
As the “Guardian” further reports, the Zambian police have been asked for a comment on the matter: It is assumed that Fifa is aware of the allegations against Mwape and has contacted the FAZ to investigate the allegations, the authorities said, according to the newspaper.
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A Fifa spokesman said they could not comment on the ongoing investigation. “Please note that the independent ethics committee does not, as a matter of principle, comment on whether or not investigations into suspected cases are ongoing,” he said. “As usual, any information the ethics committee wishes to share will be communicated at its own discretion.”
Testosterone levels like a man – debates about Zambia’s national striker
Barbra Banda scored twice as the Zambian national team almost singlehandedly won the friendly against Germany. However, due to her testosterone levels, there is debate about the captain and her participation in the World Cup.