FIFA has announced they will be launching an investigation into allegations of misconduct against Bruce Mwape. Mwape is currently the head coach of Zambia's Women's National Team and has been since 2018. Zambia, appearing at the Women's World Cup for the first time, recorded a victory against Costa Rica but failed to qualify for the knockout stage. Allegations against Mwape first arose in September 2022, when the Football Association of Zambia announced it had referred allegations of sexual abuse to FIFA. Following Zambia's exit from the tournament, The Guardian published a report claiming that Mwape had been seen rubbing a player's chest in a sexual manner two days before the game against Costa Rica. Furthermore, an anonymous player claimed that "if he [Mwape] wants to sleep with someone, you have to say yes."
The allegations against Mwape and others have overshadowed Zambia's historic moment. It was the first time that any senior national team from the African nation had appeared at a World Cup. Furthermore, Zambia came away with the nation's first-ever win as well. A press conference before their match against Spain ended early because reporters refused to stop asking questions about the allegations.
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FIFA Announces Investigation
"FIFA takes any allegation of misconduct extremely seriously. Furthermore, the organization has a clear process in place for anyone in football who wants to report an incident. We can confirm that a complaint has been received in relation to the Zambian women's national team and this is currently being investigated. We cannot provide further details regarding an ongoing investigation for obvious confidentiality reasons. Anyone who wishes to report allegations or information related to abuse in football can do so via FIFA's confidential reporting platform. All information that is submitted to FIFA is handled in the strictest of confidence." This statement was made to ESPN via a FIFA spokesperson
They continued. "In addition, FIFA offers support and assistance to ensure the safety of those who report a safeguarding issue, including witnesses who come forward and give testimony in FIFA Ethics cases. Where guilt is established, FIFA takes the strongest possible sanctions, including removing people from the game for life. Our track record demonstrates this." In 2019, FIFA handed down a lifetime ban to Keramuddin Keram, the then-President of the Afghanistan Football Federation. Keram had been accused of sexually abusing several members of the women's national team.
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