Ex-Ghana manager Nora Hauptle named new coach of Zambia’s Copper Queens

Swiss coach Nora Hauptle has been appointed Zambia’s Copper Queens coach on a reported two-year contract days after leaving Ghana’s Black Queens.

In a statement, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) confirmed Hauptle’s hiring to replace Zambian Bruce Mwape whose reign was characterized by success and accusations of off-field reports of misconduct.

FAZ General Secretary, Reuben Kamanga, said Hauptle has been tasked with building on Mwape’s success and taking the Copper Queens to greater heights.

“Her duty is to consolidate on the gains made in our women’s game in the last few years that has seen us win bronze at the WAFCON, qualify to a maiden FIFA World Cup in 2023 and back-to-back Olympic qualifications,” he said.

Hauptle is a former defender who represented Switzerland before calling time on her playing career in 2009 when he ventured into management. The 41-year-old was appointed Black Queens’ coach in 2022 and only resigned on Wednesday at the end of her contract on December 31, 2024, to take up the new job. The Ghana Football Association (GFA) released a statement regarding Hauptle’s contract expiry:

The Swiss mentor has the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) scheduled for July 2025 in Morocco as her first major assignment with Zambia. Hauptle earned the Black Stars WAFCON qualification but failed to make it to the Olympic Games ironically after losing to the Copper Queens.

Kamanga added that Mwape will be redeployed to a developmental role in Zambia women’s football set up.