Zambia women’s football team head coach accused of sexual misconduct
The head coach of Zambia’s women’s football team, due to compete in this month’s Women’s World Cup, has been investigated over allegations of sexual misconduct.
Bruce Mwape was appointed in May 2018 and helped Zambia qualify for the World Cup for the first time. The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) said in September 2022 that it had referred an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse in the women’s game to Fifa, football’s governing body. Mwape and the under-17 coach Kaluba Kangwa are understood to have been among the FAZ employees who were investigated.
“If he [Mwape] wants to sleep with someone, you have to say yes,” one player who did not want to be named told the Guardian. “It’s normal that the coach sleeps with the players in our team.”
One source who knows the players said they had received threats, not from Mwape himself. “They are being threatened with punitive action if they dare say anything about what happened,” the source said. “The federation is turning a blind eye because the women have had good results. It’s their way to show to the public and the authorities success and a good image. But behind the scenes, it’s very ugly.”
Mwape referred questions sent by the Guardian to the FAZ press office. A FAZ spokesperson, asked by the Guardian whether it had received any complaints about Mwape’s conduct, referred to their statement of September 2022 and would not add to their comments.
“Although we have no record of official complaints from anyone on the allegations, we consider these allegations very serious and have opened an inquiry into the matter,” said the FAZ’s general secretary, Adrian Kashala, in the statement. “We shall collaborate with the Zambia Police Service and other relevant stakeholders in dealing with this matter.”
According to the FAZ’s president, Andrew Kamanga, the investigation was referred to police and Fifa to ensure that it is not accused of “taking sides”.
“We prefer that an independent body such as Fifa which has the capacity to do it will be able to handle the inquiries,” he said in October 2022. “Definitely we are going to take sanctions; we have enough rules and regulations within football which we can deal with.”
The Guardian has contacted the Zambian police for comment.
It is understood that Fifa is aware of the accusations made against Mwape and has been in touch with the FAZ to investigate. However, a Fifa spokesperson said it could not comment on ongoing investigations. “Please note that as a general policy, the independent ethics committee does not comment on whether or not investigations are under way into alleged cases,” he said. “As usual, any information the ethics committee may like to share will be communicated at their discretion.”
Zambia, one of four African teams in the Women’s World Cup, are in Group C with Spain, Japan and Costa Rica and will play those games in New Zealand.
Source: The Guardian
Do you see how corrupted most heterosexuals are? Lgbt have manners. When have you heard of any gay leader taking advantage of those lower in rank? Unfortunate that this dirty man is forcing himself on women are likely lgbt. This why I demand lgbt rights in zambia to protect the minority lgbt community
@ Kaizer and @Bowman, you guys love football like us. May you please kiill the author in national interest? Zambians know very well that A.M is h@ter, no wonder Kalu slapped it.
Why has this topic come about , this can’t be the topic right now however this can come up after the world cup , many people don’t know that the world cup has already started and the players are on the pitch , now frustrating your coach is losing your game .
It would have been more prudent to spare this topic until, when the world cup is over, because as everything stands Zambia risk losing the game that is my only advise to Zambians
We don’t need such despicable things in Zambia…. They are unnatural acts and worse than sexual misconduct… How do you even label gay issues ati gays have manners? That behavior is worse than death.
Chaiman that’s your opinion which we lgbt don’t care about. You are insignificant to our struggle. Talk to the hand
most of you fags actually brutalize the straight people, you people drug people and have carnal knowledge of them, recently you burned the house of someone. You prey on young boys confusing them and most will grow to people like you thinking its ok to insert your thing where ….. come from
Mwanazamba you are very ignorant and uneducated. It is painful trying to reason with people like you. Don’t cross my path I won’t cross yours. What I do in my personal life is not your problem.
Just work hard Mr man and stop being feed as the devil’s advocate. Your a**s won’t help you when judgement comes. You son of Sodom and Gomorrah
What value is added to you for having sex with someone without their consent.
What value is there of persecuting people just because they are gay
white I D I O T S at it again. Just after the Gemany loss. These mind games wont stop us from playing well at the world cup. trying to divide us as they always do.We shall sort out this issue later..only ichipuba will fall for this..
Why investigating FAZ alone? We know this is common practice in almost all football associations, coaches and the staff having canal knowledge with female footballers especially when they are in camp.
A fair application of rules must be extended to all football associations.
This complaint has been there for the past ten years. FAZ are toothless. Why hand the investigation to FIFA who live 10,000 kilometres away? Why not investigate and inform FIFA?
Is this a plan of destabilizing the African threat at the forthcoming world cup?
Lets just not look at Zambia alone even these European countries might have the same stories but here in Zambia uhhhhh its big news even ba Guardian are even coming in.
Some of these players might not even be saying the truth and here we are blowing it up, we doing bad to our team that is participating in the world cup, these white can be playing your mind through your own friends so that the team does not perform be careful.
We are about to participate in a very important tournament and as if see you seem to suggest these happening were discovered in September 2022 why bring it to light now, is it that we beat Germany(be it a friendly) . If this article is written by a Zambian please be a bit patriotic and let see how the world cup goes otherwise iam sure you be like we lost becomes gals are been abused and biased selection.
This article was posted by a Neo-Nazi at The Guardian
Some men. I mean. Who wants to force Barbara Banda to sleep with them?
Heterosexuals are usually perverted. That is why we call for legalise lgbt rights. Lgbt are civilised
You have too much free time you old unemployed man. From Being Kaizar Zulu and now Wagner. Enjoy yourself with the trolling.
Chiza are you mad? Don’t compare me to that homophobe kaizar. If I was him I would have done the world a favour and ended my life. Don’t steal away from our LGBT aims. I don’t do politics. I am here for lgbt rights. Don’t comment politics on my blogs.
THIS CAN NOT BE CONFINED TO FOOTBALL CIRCLES ONLY. MEN IN ALL FIELDS WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DESPERATE YOUNG GIRLS. PREYING ON THEM LIKE VAMPIRES. I SEE A BHD SYNDROME HERE. ALL THE MORE REASON WE DONT PROGRESS. WHY IS THIS COMING OUT NOW? HAS HE JUST STARTED DODALLING THEM?
There is no smoke without fire. Something wrong is happening in the women’s team but just because of the good results everything is being swept under the carpet. Just wait when they start losing.
Please leave Zambia alone. We know the agenda of some of this media. The big news at the moment is Zambia has beaten a big power. Please allow our girls to win or lose on the pitch. This article is intended to demoralize the girls. Copper Queens ,Go! We are behind you
Why has this topic come about , this can’t be the topic right now however this can come up after the world cup , many people don’t know that the world cup has already started and the players are on the pitch , now frustrating your coach is losing your game .
It would have been more prudent to spare this topic until, when the world cup is over, because as everything stands Zambia risk losing the game that is my only advise to Zambians
Guys as usual African fail to read between the lines. The accusations for Bruce came, were investigated and closed. After we beat Germany, the Germany coach has issued statements in Tabloids over the sexual charges that were closed. The same way she influenced the referee to add 12 minute to the game she wants to disturb our camp. These white people will do everything possible to make sure an African team does not win the world cup. Mosepe did the same at the women Africa cup by not allowing Barbara and Kundananji to play. Let us remain focused on the CUP.
You are confused. You start with the issue of whites sabotaging Africa’s ambitions of winning the cup but you couple their actions with Motsepe’s. Motsepe is African. You want us to read between what lines?
JUST SHOWS WERE WE ARE WHEN SAYING THE CUP IS MORE IMPORTANT
SO WOMENS RIGHTS DONT MATTER
TRUELY AN AFRICAN CONSEPT
The leak or accusation obviously comes from one of the benchwarmers. The team should be able to see who is disgruntled
The Zambian correspondent for BBC, Augustine Mukoka, started this nonsense with his so-called report on the matter that hid the identities of those who made claims against Bruce Mwape. One wonders just whose interests Augustine Mukoka has been and is still serving. Mukoka comes across as a mecernary journalist serving interests of Bazungus and not his own country. His white friends and himself really want Zambia to fail at the women’s World cup. It is such a shame to have Zambians like him behaving the way he has been on the matter.
Lusaka Times, you are a Zambian publication, and you are under the obligation to abide by Zambian law. You are allowing an open homosexual, Wagner, to spew and spread his propaganda. You are allowing him to besmirch heterosexuals. You moderate 100% of all the comments posted on this forum, and your tolerance of his rubbish is acquiescence in his agenda. I demand that henceforth, you cease publish any prohomosexual comments he makes, in the same way you would, if someone was to comment promoting the rape of women. You have the responsibility to promote Zambian values. This fellow very likely is a foreign homosexual that you are now allowing to pretend to be a Zambian. Lusaka Times, do the right thing.
Western Media report??? NEVER TRUST WHAT THEY SAY.
If this issue is true. This monster who happened to coach Zambia innocent women must be punished. Sack him immediately as coach and later cut off his balls by castrating him. Heli’s a monster and we must get of him immediately. He is not a coach but a dog.
The humiliating defeat of the Germans by our girls is the source of this nonsense. German press is busy insulting BB and the girls to demoralize them. Unfortunately our media is nowhere to defend or even answer back to these *****s.
The best way is to ignore this Wagner thing as much as we must be oblivious, shut our senses, to this Guardian thing. Remember that Barbara was given a lowblow, to check if she is Man: worse, suspended from the team. No one apologised for that cruel and inhumane behaviour. And they are back at it again.
Do you know that you adressed me? You say ignow me but you talking about me. It is this behaviour that we usually see in those men who are secretly gay. They say one thing but they do something else. Just come out. We will accept you in our growing lgbt community.