By end of next week, Copper Queens coach Nora Hauptle would have earned $20, 000 for only working 10 out of at least 50 days (that’s if her leave days accrue at 2 days per month).
As of May 2025, Nora had run to FIFA reporting the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) for allegedly breaching terms of her contract after she went some three months without pay.
As these two scenarios are playing out, we have some people clapping for Nora. How?
Ati iyo she announced she would not be at the COSAFA women’s tournament because she preferred some tournament in the Middle East.
Well, her employers – FAZ – saw it fit to restrict their focus for Zambia’s preparations for the WAFCON to one team rather than two teams less than one month before the tournament.
And because her employers preferred to start with the COSAFA to splitting into two, she has not shown up for the regional tournament. Just like she didn’t show up for the Malawi invitational tournament. Such conduct is concerning. Nora would rather be in Dubai than in Chibolya watching Luyando.
Whether Nora likes it or not, her bills are being paid by the girls from our townships and that’s her office for now.
It’s unacceptable for her to be running to Switzerland each time the team has a brief window of rest.
From what I have gathered, Copper Queens are earmarked for another set of friendlies after the COSAFA to continue preparations for WAFCON.
The only challenge that arose was to flirt with the idea of two teams – one for COSAFA and the other for the Pink Tournament.
Yes. She’s a decent coach.
Yes. She’s firm & wants the best (hopefully) for Zambia (to enrich her CV).
Yes. She’s strictly focusing on delivery.
But all these attributes amount to nothing if she drops her professionalism guard.
Her employer saw it fit to focus on COSAFA. Thereafter, she would then proceed but it appears she has opted out of duty.
If I were her employer, COSAFA would still be good preparation for WAFCON.
Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a friendly in Dubai, those funds can be channeled towards motivating the players. That way they will fight a little harder at WAFCON know too well their pockets are overflowing.
As things stand, it appears Nora is AWOL. Does she have a good reason to stay away? No, not at all.
Alas, she just doesn’t want to prepare the team with a COSAFA tournament.
This is the highest form of insubordination. In any organization, it leads to disciplinary action including up to termination of employment.
Nora should not be treated with kid gloves. Per annum, she’s is entitled to $120, 000 plus as part of her emoluments. But Charles Halubono, who only gets allowances, is the one doing her job. Aya ni manyengo colleagues.
I am wondering whether there was any due diligence in hiring Nora. Those who brought her to Zambia must tell us what they saw in her.
If a Zambian behaved like Nora, would he or she be treated the same? Let’s be fair.
In summary, when an expatriate coaches agrees to coach any Chipolopolo team, he or she must be required to spend more than 75% their time in Zambia.
We can’t always be dancing to the tune of these coaches all because they’re expatriate. I agree with them on zero tolerance on interference but not coaching the team using Microsoft Teams (remotely). It doesn’t make business sense.
NOTE: As you comment, please allow ba Bruce Mwape to rest. He is a closed chapter.
[Augustine Mukoka]
Wishing we had not voted out Kamanga. He was gentleman and a true lover of women football.
This Mwemba guy is only good at making unfulfilled promises, he is not straight. He is busy frustrating this good coach to pave way for his fellow Tonga guy to take over women national football coaching role, not realising that he is slowing digging an open grave for women football. There will soon be no women football to talk about just as there is nothing to talk about for men’s football.
Mweemba and your clueless followers at FAZ, give coach Nora what she wants instead of plotting her downfall. You have already frustrated and kickout her musungu assistant coach and now you are after her, its shameful.
Stop being envious and stingy about the money she is getting, she deserves it. Besides the money is tax payers money from the govt and not from your forever broke FAZ. Us the tax payers are happy to see she is paid this $s salary because we love women football and want it to continue improving. If you want to be a top footballing nation you need to invest in top coaches, a perfect example is Ghana, they invest in good coaches reason their women football is ticking. Your fellow Tonga man you are banking on won’t take Zambia Women National Team anyway, its beyond him.
Mweemba and your friends at FAZ, be warned, you fail us in women football and you will be a one term FAZ team, we shall vote you out at next election, so you better start doing things right.
Iwe ndani, her going to Chibolya after we lost 5-0 at the hands of the same opponent we are yet to face does not make sense. If we keep on playing the same mediocre opponents we shall never improve. Give her the resources to prepare in Dubai. There we shall have better opponents and opportunities for growth for our players than going to Lilongwe to go and face the same opposition we are likely to face at WAFCON. Pa last they deliberately injure our players.
Norah is right. We can not continue this kind of mungulu preparations when our World cup qualifications are just a few weeks from now.
Look at the squad South Africa has picked for COSAFA, nothing close to what will be in Morocco. Their coach has a pool of good players who are engaged elsewhere. Their game plan and preparations are tailored for their program. Zambia need not follow suit. There is nothing wrong with team B going to COSAFA while team A goes to Dubai thereafter both coaches from teams A & B pick the final squad for the World Cup qualifiers.
Going to watch Mpulungu harbour girls in some match in Chibolya at this point of preparations is misplaced. We need to focus on the proven squad at the international level and help them improve. That is what a right thinking coach does.
STOP THE POINTLESS DECAMPAIGNING OF A coach with good intentions and Yes if you can’t pay her let her go! She is right to complain to FIFA