The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has denied reports in an international publication that the world governing body FIFA was investigating coach Bruce Mwape for allegedly rubbing his hands on a player’s chest during the ongoing 2023 Women’s World Cup.
According to the Guardian, 63-year-old, who was accused of sexual misconduct before the start of the World Cup. rubbed his hands on one of the Copper Queens’ chest during their last training session ahead of their 3-1 win over Coast Rica. However, Zambia FA through a statement signed by Communications Manager Sydney Mungala, denied having received any communication from FIFA over the matter.
“The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) wishes to clear the air following an online publication dated 3rd August 2023 in “The Guardian” headlined “FIFA investigating claims Zambia coach rubbed player’s chest at World Cup,” read part of the statement, adding: “In the said publication, it is said that Zambia’s coach Bruce Mwape has been accused of rubbing his hands over the chest of one of the players two days before Zambia’s victory over Costa Rica in their final match at the Women’s World Cup.
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“It is further reported that FIFA has confirmed receiving an official complaint about the alleged incident and that FAZ is believed to be aware of the incident. We wish to state the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has not received any such complaint from any of the players or officials in the delegation that travelled to the World Cup. It has therefore come as a surprise for us to hear of such alleged misconduct by the coach as reported in the said online publication.”
The statement continued: “As a matter of fact, all the training sessions for the Copper Queens were filmed by the FAZ media team and offer no such footage as envisioned by The Guardian. Additionally, a FIFA film crew attached to the Zambian team at the World Cup was present at all training sessions.
“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.”
Zambia failed to qualify for the Round of 16 at the tournament in New Zealand and Australia after losing their opening two matches – 5-0 against Japan, 5-0 against Spain – before defeating Costa Rica 3-1.