FIFA has launched an investigation into a formal complaint lodged against Zambia's head coach, Bruce Mwape, accusing him of sexually assaulting a player during a training session at the Women's World Cup in New Zealand.

The alleged incident, in which Mwape is accused of touching the chest of one of his players with his hands, is said to have occurred on 29 July.

A spokesperson from FIFA confirmed the receipt of the complaint, stating that they take any allegations of misconduct very seriously and have a clear reporting process for incidents in football.

However, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) expressed surprise at the news, claiming that they have not received any such complaint. They also stated that all training sessions for the Zambian team, known as the Copper Queens, were filmed by the FAZ media team and no footage of the alleged incident exists. Additionally, a FIFA film crew was present at all training sessions.

Following the complaint, Zambia's national team has returned home after finishing third in Group C and being eliminated from the tournament.

The FAZ emphasized that they maintain the highest standards of integrity and transparency and are committed to upholding ethical conduct among players and officials on and off the field. They pledged to take disciplinary action once an official complaint is received or if evidence related to the alleged incident is presented.

Last year, social media also saw sexual abuse allegations against Coach Mwape, but the FAZ clarified that no official complaint had been received at that time. However, an investigation had been initiated due to the seriousness of the allegations. Mwape denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the previous allegations as "fake."

In response to the recent accusation, the New Zealand police were informed but concluded that no further action was required after making initial inquiries. The situation remains under FIFA's scrutiny, and the outcome of the investigation will be awaited with keen interest.