Bruce Mwape, 63, has been accused by one of Zambia's Women's World Cup stars of coercing players into having sex with him in order to secure their place on the national team.
Zambia is one of four African teams participating in the Women's World Cup. They have been placed in Group C alongside Japan, Costa Rica, and Spain, and will be competing in New Zealand.
Mwape was initially appointed as the Zambia manager in 2018 and played a crucial role in helping the team qualify for the World Cup for the first time. In 2022, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) disclosed that it had referred allegations of sexual abuse in the women's game to FIFA, with both Mwape and under-17 coach Kaluba Kangwa being investigated by the FAZ.
An anonymous female player stated, "If he wants to sleep with someone, you have to say yes. It is normal that the coach sleeps with the players on our team," referring to Mwape.
A source familiar with the players claimed they had received threats, although not directly from Manager Mwape himself. "They are being threatened with punitive action if they dare to speak out about what happened," the source revealed.
When approached by the Guardian with questions, Mwape directed them to the FAZ press office. The FAZ spokesperson, when asked by the Guardian about complaints regarding Mwape's conduct, referred to their September 2022 statement and provided no additional comments.
According to Andrew Kamanga, the President of FAZ, the investigation has been reported to the police and FIFA to ensure impartiality. In October 2022, he stated, "We prefer that an independent body such as FIFA, which has the capacity, will handle the inquiries. We will impose sanctions; we have sufficient football rules and regulations to address the situation."
FIFA is aware of the allegations against Mwape and is in regular contact with the FAZ to conduct further investigations. A FIFA spokesperson stated that they cannot comment on an ongoing investigation, adding, "Please note that as a general policy, the independent ethics committee does not comment on ongoing investigations into alleged cases. Any information to be shared by the ethics committee will be communicated at their discretion."