FIFA investigates Zambia coach over allegations of sexual abuse at the Women’s Cup, says newspaper – 8/3/2023 – Sport

Zambia coach Bruce Mwape is being accused of sexually abusing one of his female athletes two days before they beat Costa Rica in the third round of the Women’s World Cup. The information was disclosed by the British newspaper The Guardian.

Fifa (International Football Federation) confirmed to the newspaper that it received an official complaint about the alleged incident after Zambia won its first victory in a World Cup, on Monday (31), in New Zealand.

“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 report has been received in relation to the Zambia women’s national team and is being investigated. more details on an ongoing investigation for obvious reasons of confidentiality,” a spokesperson for the organization said.

Still according to The Guardian, some players would have seen Mwape rub her hands on the chest of one of her teammates on Friday (28), after a training session. A source told the newspaper that the coach’s behavior was inappropriate.

Witnesses reportedly discussed reporting the incident immediately, but decided to wait until the end of Zambia’s participation in the Cup. The country finished third in Group C, in which Japan and Spain took both knockout spots and Costa Rica were also eliminated.

Neither the coach nor the Football Association of Zambia has yet commented on FIFA’s investigation.

Prior to the tournament, Mwape had already been the subject of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.

In September, The Guardian published an extensive report in which one of the sources interviewed by the newspaper on condition of anonymity stated that, if the coach [Bruce Mwape] wanted to sleep with someone, the person would have to say yes.

During the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the coach was asked about the subject at a press conference. However, a FIFA adviser ended the interview ahead of schedule after a series of questions on the subject. At the time, the official said that the questions should only be about the competition.

Even so, Mwape still spoke out and denied the accusations. “Perhaps your question was asked because you are reading news on social media or in the press, but the truth of the matter should really come out, not just the rumours,” he declared.