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Zambian Women’s Football Coach Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Zambian women’s football coach Bruce Mwape was Wednesday accused of rubbing a player’s breasts after a training session. The allegation was first reported by the Guardian newspaper, and FIFA has confirmed that it is investigating the matter.
“We can confirm that a complaint has been received in relation to the Zambian women’s national team and this is currently being investigated,” a FIFA spokesperson said, without specifying the nature of the complaint.
“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.”
Mwape has denied the allegation, calling it “fake.” He has also dismissed suggestions that he should resign.
Zambia’s women’s football set up has been plagued by allegations of improper conduct. Last year, the Football Association of Zambia opened an investigation into reports of misbehaviour, but it is not clear what the probe found or whether any action was taken.
New Zealand Police said they were made aware of an alleged incident during the World Cup, but after initial enquiries decided that “no further action was required to be taken.”
The Football Association of Zambia has denied knowledge of any recent complaint from players or its travelling delegation. The organization said in a statement that it had “come as a surprise for us to hear of such alleged misconduct by the coach,” adding that it had demanded “the highest standards of integrity and transparency” from players and staff.
The football association also said that all training sessions had been filmed by its media team and a FIFA crew, and it had seen no evidence of any incident. It added that it would take disciplinary action “once we are in receipt of an official complaint or presented with evidence.”
Somalia’s Sports Official Suspended After “Disastrous” Performance
Somalia Thursday suspended a sports official for nepotism after a novice sprinter was allowed to compete in an international sports competition.
Nasra Abubakar Ali took double the winner’s time to finish the 100m at the World University Games in China. The novice athlete completed the race in 21.81 seconds – more than 10 seconds behind the eventual winner.
An investigation by the Somali Ministry of Youth and Sport revealed she is “not a sports person, nor a runner”. The chairwoman of the Somali Athletics Federation has been accused of abusing her power and defaming Somalia. Khadijo Aden Dahir was stood down following a meeting between the country’s sport’s ministry and its National Olympic Committee.Their preliminary investigation also found that a sports body known as the Somali University Sports Association does not exist.
The ministry said it will pursue legal action against both the chairman of the Athletics Federation of Somalia and others responsible for the “falsification” of the sports group.
It did not elaborate on what the connection between Ms Dahir and Ms Ali is.
In a video of the event, the athlete is soon left out of shot and eventually completes the race with a jovial skip. Sports Minister Mohamed Barre Mohamud described the incident as an embarrassment.
“What happened today was not representation of the Somali people… we apologise to the Somali people,” he said.
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