Zimbabwe Women’s Football Team Coach Faces Sexual Assault Charges
Shadreck Mlauzi, the coach of Zimbabwe’s women’s football team, is set to appear in court on Wednesday after being charged with sexual assault.
According to the police, Mlauzi has been accused of making unwanted sexual advances by a member of his coaching staff during a regional tournament in southern Africa and is currently in police custody.
The temporary head of the Zimbabwe Football Association, Lincoln Mutasa, has expressed the organization’s intention to await the legal process before making any decisions regarding Mlauzi’s future.
Mutasa emphasized the importance of allowing the police to conduct their investigation without any preconceived notions.
He stated, “We will allow the police to do their job, without prejudice. As the national association, we will follow the police’s lead.”
Mutasa also revealed that all individuals who participated in the South African tournament had signed a code of ethics certificate.
The Zimbabwe Football Association is conducting its own internal investigation into the matter but will rely on the police’s findings as the most authoritative source in this case.
Police in Harare have confirmed that Mlauzi is scheduled to appear in court for a second time on Wednesday.
The southern African regional tournament in South Africa marked Zimbabwe’s return to competitive matches after FIFA lifted the 17-month international ban due to government interference in July.
In addition to this development, the Zimbabwe Football Association has made a formal request to host its men’s World Cup qualifier against Nigeria in November in Rwanda.
Zimbabwe’s stadiums were deemed substandard by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in February 2020, leading to a ban on international matches.
Zimbabwe is slated to begin its World Cup qualifying campaign in Rwanda in November, with a match against Nigeria scheduled to take place four days later.
However, the request to stage the second match in Rwanda is pending approval from both CAF and FIFA.
This story has been adopted from Sportstar.
