The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) confirmed in a statement on Saturday that Elite Ladies F.C. striker Xiomara Mapepa, 20, had been suspended from the Copper Queens camp in South Korea for disciplinary reasons.
While some speculated that the speedy winger was suspended for smoking illegal substances in South Korea, neither FAZ nor Elite Ladies confirmed or denied the allegations.
Her club announced on their official Facebook page on Thursday that she had returned to the country from Asia.
Mapepa was in good spirits, according to Elite Ladies, who described her suspension as a difficult phase of her career.
What’s next for Mapepa?
She is the current leading goal scorer in the Zambian women’s league, having scored 26 goals so far this season.
In December last year, Turkish Women’s League Champions Besiktas expressed interest in signing the Copper Queens winger.
In a statement, her club revealed that they had received an official offer for the winger. They stated that talks were ongoing, but three months later the agreement appeared to have stalled.
BolaNews, however, understands that Elite Ladies F.C. were only willing to let Mapepa go after the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This is also thought to have caused the talks between the two clubs to stall.
In August 2022, Mapepa piqued the interest of Swedish club, Djurgarden IF. They invited her to Stockholm for a week of trials, but no deal was reached and she returned to Zambia.
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She was a member of the Copper Queens team that advanced to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations semifinals for the first time, earning a spot in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Given her recent suspension from the Copper Queens camp, it remains to be seen if she will make the final squad for the World Cup, which will be held in New Zealand and Australia from July 20 to August 20, 2023.
