Zambia women’s team coach accused of sexually abusing players
The Zambia Football Association (FAZ) and FIFA have opened an investigation into possible sexual abuse by coach Bruce Mwape of his players.
Scandal in Zambia with just days before the start of the Women’s World Cup. National team coach Bruce Mwape is being investigated after authorities received complaints of sexual abuse from several players, The Guardian reports. Zambia is one of Spain’s rivals in Group C, along with Costa Rica and Japan.
Zambia’s Football Association (FAZ) informed FIFA in September 2022 of an open investigation concerning Bruce Mwape, Zambia’s manager since 2018, and U-17 coach Kaluba Kangwa.
Claims Mwape abused position
“If Mwape wants to sleep with someone, you have to say yes. It’s normal for the coach to sleep with the players from our team,” a player who wished to remain anonymous told The Guardian.
Another close source revealed cases of emotional blackmail - and said that players were threatened if they dared to say anything about what happened. “The federation turns a blind eye because the women’s team has had good results. It’s his way of showing success and a good image to the public and authorities. But behind the scenes, things are very ugly,” the source said.
“While we have no official complaints from anyone about the allegations, we consider them very serious and have opened an investigation into the matter. We will collaborate with the Zambian Police and other stakeholders,” FAZ Secretary General Adrian Kashala said in a statement.
“We prefer that an independent body such as FIFA should handle investigations. We are planning to serve sanctions. We have enough rules and regulations within football to be able deal with this,” FAZ chairman Andrew Kamanga said in October.