Editor's Note: The following story deals with sexual misconduct, and may be triggering for some readers.
Zambia has shot to prominence in the football world in recent times, with the country qualifying for their first ever World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. They also shocked one of the favourites for the tournament Germany in a 3-2 victory in a warm-up match before the tournament.
However, the team has also made headlines for the wrong reasons, with reports surfacing that coach Bruce Mwape is being investigated for claims of sexual misconduct.
The serious claims have garnered significant media attention, and the investigation threatens to tarnish the work Mwape has done in raising the performance levels of Zambian football and qualifying them for a major FIFA tournament.
The Sporting News details the allegations, and how each party has reacted to the investigation.
MORE: Complete Women's World Cup schedule
What are the allegations made against Bruce Mwape?
A report in The Guardian published on July 8 detailed how an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by Mwape had been opened in the previous year.
The report featured remarks from anonymous sources stating Mwape would sleep with the players on the team, with another claiming players were discouraged from speaking out by the federation due to the side having good results under Mwape.
Mwape is reportedly one of many coaches in Zambia to be investigated, with Under 17s coach Kaluba Kangwa also said to be under investigation.
Reports of the investigation first emerged in October 2022, with the case ultimately being referred to FIFA at the time.
The report from The Guardian was the first instance of Mwape being named as a person of interest in the investigation.
How have Bruce Mwape and other Zambia figures responded?
Mwape was asked about the allegations when his team arrived in New Zealand, but the coach refused to comment, instead only discussing matters related to the on-pitch performance of his team.
Captain Barbra Banda also refused to comment on the issue, stating "I'm not in a position of answering that because I'm just a player, my job is to be on the pitch, not on the technical side."
The Zambian FA, who referred the investigation to FIFA, refused to comment on the report in The Guardian, instead referencing a previous statement made, where they said, “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.. we shall collaborate with the Zambia Police Service and other relevant stakeholders in dealing with this matter.”
What was FIFA's response to the allegations?
FIFA are said to be aware of the allegations made against Mwape, however, they have refused to comment directly on the investigation.
A FIFA spokesperson told The Guardian, "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.
"As usual, any information the ethics committee may like to share will be communicated at their discretion.”
Zambia performances under Bruce Mwape
Zambia's women's side has had their most successful period under Mwape, who has been the coach since 2018.
He led them at their second WAFCON tournament in 2018, though the side failed to make it out of the group; they fared much better four years later when they reached the semifinals of the same tournament without captain Banda, qualifying them for the World Cup in the process.
Zambia also made the Olympic Games for the first time under his tutelage, and whilst they lost all three of their games, Banda became the first player to score back-to-back hat-tricks at the Olympics.
They also had strong results in recent friendlies against European opposition, drawing against Switzerland just before their famous win over Germany.
Zambia World Cup schedule
Zambia play their first ever World Cup match on July 22 against Japan in Hamilton, New Zealand.
They then travel to Auckland to face powerhouse Spain on July 26.
Their final match will see them return to Hamilton when they face Costa Rica on July 31, with this match seen as their best chance at earning a victory at the World Cup.
| Match | Date | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| Zambia vs Japan | July 22 | Waikato Stadium |
| Zambia vs Spain | July 26 | Eden Park |
| Zambia vs Costa Rica | July 31 | Waikato Stadium |