FIFA investigating misconduct allegation involving Zambia at 2023 World Cup

The coach of Zambia’s women's soccer team, Bruce Mwape, is accused of rubbing his hands over the chest of one of his players before the team's World Cup win over Costa Rica, according to a report in The Guardian.

According to the report, the incident happened during training on July 28 and was witnessed by several players.

“FIFA takes any allegation of misconduct extremely seriously and 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," the soccer's world governing body, said in a statement. "We cannot provide further details regarding an ongoing investigation for obvious confidentiality reasons.

FIFA also said anyone who has information about the incident is encouraged to come forward and that information will remain confidential.

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"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 Judicial cases. Where guilt is established, FIFA takes the strongest possible sanctions, including removing people from the game for life. Our track record demonstrates this."

An unidentified player on Zambia's team told The Guardian that if Mwape “wants to sleep with someone, you have to say yes.”

Football Association of Zambia general secretary Reuben Kamanga said the organization had not "received any such complaint from any of the players or officials in the delegation that traveled to the World Cup."

"As a matter of fact, all the training sessions for the Copper Queens were filmed by the FAZ media team and offers no such footage as envisioned by The Guardian," Kamanga said in a statement. "Additionally, a FIFA film crew attached to the Zambian team at the World Cup was present at all training sessions.”

Zambia was eliminated from the tournament after finishing third in group play, losing its first two matches to Spain and Japan before it defeated Costa Rica.