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Zambia Women’s World Cup team coach accused of sexual misconduct

The coach of the Zambia team preparing to debut at the Women’s World Cup has been accused of sexual misconduct and the case was referred to FIFA for investigation last year, according to a report in The Guardian newspaper.

Bruce Mwape was accused of forcing players to have sex with him if they wanted to keep their place in the team, according to the report published by the British newspaper on Saturday.

Other Zambian coaches and officials were also accused of sexual misconduct and investigated, according to the newspaper, including the coach of the girls’ under-17 team.

Zambian Football Association president Andrew Kamanga confirmed in a message to The Associated Press on Sunday that allegations of sexual misconduct had been referred to FIFA and Zambian police last year, saying it was “an old story”. Kamanga did not name any of the people accused of wrongdoing.

In accordance with protocol, FIFA said its independent ethics committee would not comment on whether or not an investigation is ongoing.

The Football Association of Zambia launched its own investigation last year, but did not name any officials, coaches or players at the time. The Zambian association said in its announcement in September that it takes the allegations seriously.

But The Guardian quoted an anonymous source as saying the Zambian association is “turning a blind eye” to the allegations due to the recent success of its women’s team under Mwape.

Zambia qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which starts this month. The men’s team has never made it to the World Cup.

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Zambia recorded a surprise 3-2 victory over two-time World Cup winners Germany on Friday in a warm-up match for this year’s tournament. Zambia captain and star striker Barbra Banda scored twice, including the winning goal in the 12th minute of added time.

Banda was at the center of another controversy for the Zambian Football Association after being withdrawn from the Women’s African Cup of Nations last year over a failed gender eligibility case.

The Football Association of Zambia has removed Banda from its squad for the tournament due to gender rules, despite Banda being cleared to play at the Olympics and World Cup. The association and the African Football Association blamed each other for mishandling Banda’s case.

Zambia is in Group C with Spain, Costa Rica and Japan at the World Cup and will play its first game against the Japanese on July 22.

Mwape was featured in an interview on the FIFA website in May when he said Zambia would be going to the World Cup for the first time.

In the interview, he said the team’s performance had “changed football in Zambia” by inspiring many girls to start playing.

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