FAZ has moved to clear the air over issues surrounding Copper Queens coach Nora Häuptle and explained its position on salaries, contract terms and latest developments now before FIFA.
Speaking during a press conference at Football House on Wednesday, FAZ Head of Media and Communications Nkweto Tembwe said the new administration found a backlog of unpaid salaries amounting to five months when it took office.
Tembwe said FAZ engaged FIFA through a mediated process to resolve the dispute, which led to the coach withdrawing her complaint.
“The salary arrears of five months were inherited by the current FAZ administration, and we moved quickly, through a FIFA-mediated process, to settle them in full,” Tembwe said.
He said FAZ has since addressed another complaint involving two months’ pay, but discussions have now shifted to proposed changes in the coach’s contract.
Tembwe said Häuptle wants to reduce her salary by up to 50 percent so she can take up another job while remaining in charge of the national team.
“The position of national team coach demands full dedication, and any arrangement that compromises that must be carefully considered,” Tembwe said.
Tembwe confirmed that the coach has asked to step away from her role as Technical Advisor to junior teams, a responsibility FAZ considers key to long-term development.
FAZ
He said matters escalated on April 11 when Häuptle filed fresh claims with FIFA, including demands tied to future tournaments such as WAFCON and the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“While there were minor delays in salary payments, these never exceeded two months and do not justify forward-looking claims for competitions that have not yet taken place,” Tembwe said.
Tembwe said FAZ has since begun preparing its legal response and will engage FIFA through the proper channels. He also raised concerns about the coach’s limited presence at local matches.
On the FIFA Series, Tembwe dismissed claims of poor planning, citing instead visa challenges involving foreign-based players.
“All relevant stakeholders, including FIFA, were kept informed and every reasonable effort was made to secure visas within the required timelines,” Tembwe said.
He said FIFA advised FAZ to prepare a fallback squad of locally based players as delays persisted.
“Once players became available after the international release window opened, those who travelled to Zambia were able to process visas and proceed without delay,” he said.
Tembwe said some senior players, including Martha Tembo, Lushomo Mweemba and Grace Chanda, later travelled via Zambia and joined the team in Brazil once visas were processed.
He maintained that preparations for WAFCON remain on course, citing recent participation in COSAFA, the FIFA Series friendlies while another program is being finalized.
