Sports

Again, Zambia women’s coach, Bruce Mwape, accused of sexual molestation

Published

9 months ago

August 4, 2023

Zambian women national football team coach, Bruce Mwape, has again been accused of sexually molesting his players after he was accused of “rubbing his hands over the chest of one of his players” during a training session in New Zealand on July 29.

World football governing body, FIFA, which confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Friday, said it was investigating an official complaint about Mwape sexually assaulting a player at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

“A complaint has been received,” a FIFA spokesperson told journalists when the question was put to him.

“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,” he added.

The New Zealand Police also said they were made aware of an alleged incident during the World Cup but after initial enquiries decided no further action was required to be taken.

Prior to the kick-off of the Women’s World Cup, the 68-year-old Mwape faced the storm after some senior players accused him of sleeping with players before selecting them for matches.

The unnamed players had alleged that Mwape had insisted on sleeping with the players or he would not play them.

Though the Zambian Football Federation (FAZ) had said at the time that it had not received any official complaint, it had promised to opened an investigation as it “considered these allegations very serious”.

On the July 29 incident, the FAZ, in a statement, said it was not aware of the incident.

“All the training sessions for the Copper Queens [Zambia] were filmed by the FAZ media team and offers no such footage,” the FAZ said.

“Additionally, a FIFA film crew attached to the Zambian team at the World Cup was present at all training sessions.

“We, however, wish to reassure the public that FAZ maintains the highest standards of integrity and transparency and always demands unwavering ethical conduct of the players and officials on and off the field of play.

“We therefore would not hesitate to take disciplinary measures and act on any misconduct once we are in receipt of an official complaint or when presented with evidence pertaining to an alleged incident,” the statement said.

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Sports

Nigeria’s 4x400m mixed relay, 4×400 teams qualify for Olympics

Published

16 hours ago

May 5, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Team Nigeria on Sunday morning booked two places at the upcoming Paris Olympics Games in the Mixed 4x400m relay and 4X400m men’s events with automatic qualification spots at the ongoing World Relays in the Bahamas.

The mixed 4x400m relay team which had the quartet of Samuel Ogazi, Ella Onojuvwevwo, Chidi Okezie, and Esther Elo Joseph, picked the slot after finishing second behind the USA in their heat with a time of 3:13.79, to ensured Nigeria’s presence on the Olympic stage.

Both Nigeria and the US were a distance ahead of other in the heat and it was obvious as at the third leg that the race was between the two countries.

According to reports on the race, Okezie ran an impressive third leg in 44.78 to handover his baton first, but a US Olympics gold-medalist, Kendall Ellis, was too much for Esther Elo Joseph in the anchor leg as she led the United States to the finish line first.

Sports

Kenyan footballer arrested over brutal robbery, murder case

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

A Kenyan footballer, Byron Billy Owuor, has been arrested in connection with a violent robbery that led to the murder of a businesswoman in the Kondele area of Kisumu County of the country.

Owuor, a former Kisumu All-Stars player, was arrested after an AK47 rifle linked to violent robbery and murder was recovered and linked to him.

According to media reports, the 26-year-old midfielder was arrested along with another suspect for their alleged roles in a crime that has shocked the local community.

Police authorities confirmed that they seized the AK47 and 36 rounds of live ammunition linked to the robbery which took place on January 27th.

In a statement by the country’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the weapon was used to fatally shoot the business woman, Grace Awino Adero, who operated an M-Pesa shop with her husband.

“The assailants attacked the couple, making off with the day’s earnings and killing Mrs. Adero, while her husband narrowly survived the encounter,” the DCI said.

“The cold-blooded killers, believed to be part of a larger gang, fled the scene on an unmarked motorcycle, retreating to a hideout in Kasagam.

“Hours later, a suspicious saloon car was located by the Kasagam police during a routine patrol. Upon searching the vehicle, officers discovered a homemade pistol and four mobile phones, alongside an AK47 rifle without its magazine.

“The investigation revealed that the rifle had been obtained illegally from Uganda,” the DCI noted.

A media report stated that the case took a significant turn when detectives identified Robert Wakolo Okoth, also known as Michael Osama, as the alleged mastermind behind the syndicate’s criminal activities.

“Following this lead, a coordinated sting operation was conducted at Osama’s residence near Rai Primary School in Kasagam. During the raid, Osama’s 17-year-old brother, also believed to be a gang member, was arrested.

“The items recovered from the house include an AK47 magazine loaded with ammunition, six rounds of .38 special ammunition typically used in pistols, and five ID cards from different individuals.

“A green camouflage bag and a Kenya Armed Forces Comrades Association card were also found, pointing to the serious nature of the gang’s operations.

“With the arraignment at the Winam Senior Principal Magistrate’s Court, detectives have been granted an additional 14 days to wrap up their investigation.

“The focus now turns to capturing the remaining gang members whose identities have been uncovered but remain at large,” the statement said.