Zambia manager Bruce Mwape is being investigated by FIFA after he was accused of rubbing a player’s chest following a training session at the Women’s World Cup.
A complaint was made to world football’s governing body after the African nation secured its first ever victory at the tournament by beating Costa Rica on Monday.
The alleged incident took place after Zambia’s training session on Friday 28 July, according to The Guardian, with a source close to the squad claiming that several players saw Mwape rubbing his hands over the chest of one of their team-mates. Witnesses were said to have discussed the possibility of reporting it immediately but ended up waiting until after Monday’s game out of fear that they would not be selected.
Andrew Kamanga, president of the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), is thought to be aware of the incident after it was reported to a FIFA delegate who had been with the squad throughout their Women’s World Cup campaign. Express Sport have approached the FAZ for comment but the governing body is yet to respond.
A FIFA spokesperson said: “FIFA takes any allegation of misconduct extremely seriously and has a clear process in place for anyone in football who wants to report an incident. We can confirm that a complaint has been received in relation to the Zambian women’s national team and this is currently being investigated.
“We cannot provide further details regarding an ongoing investigation for obvious confidentiality reasons. Anyone who wishes to report allegations or information related to abuse in football can do so via FIFA’s confidential reporting platform, with all information that is submitted to FIFA handled in the strictest of confidence.
“In addition, FIFA offers support and assistance to ensure the safety of those who report a safeguarding issue, including witnesses who come forward and give testimony in FIFA judicial cases. Where guilt is established, FIFA takes the strongest possible sanctions, including removing people from the game for life. Our track record demonstrates this.”
Meanwhile, the FAZ told the BBC: “All the training sessions for the Copper Queens [Zambia] were filmed by the FAZ media team and offers no such footage. Additionally, a FIFA film crew attached to the Zambian team at the World Cup was present at all training sessions.
The alleged incident was said to have taken place before Zambia’s group stage win over Costa Rica.
“We, however, wish to reassure the public that FAZ maintains the highest standards of integrity and transparency and always demands unwavering ethical conduct of the players and officials on and off the field of play.
“We, therefore, would not hesitate to take disciplinary measures and act on any misconduct once we are in receipt of an official complaint or when presented with evidence pertaining to an alleged incident.”
Mwape was also the subject of sexual misconduct allegations before the start of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand but has denied the claims. A player who wished to remain anonymous told The Guardian last month: “If he [Mwape] wants to sleep with someone, you have to say yes. It’s normal that the coach sleeps with the players in our team.”
The Zambia boss was then quizzed on those allegations prior to their second group stage match against Spain before a FIFA media officer stepped in and said: “I’ll ask you to restrict the questions to the football and to the tournament only.”
