Black Queens coach Nora Hauptle has not renewed her contract with Ghana’s Football Association and has been linked to a move to Zambia to replace Bruce Mwape, according to multiple reports.
Following FAZ’s executive meeting on Saturday , the 41-year-old Swiss has been heavily linked with a move to Zambia.
By the time of this publication, efforts to gain a response from both FAZ and Hauptle had been fruitless.
In August, Sports Minister Elvis Nkandu asked for a change in the Copper Queens technical bench if the team is to achieve greater results in the future, but FAZ has been unable to do so owing to financial constraints, as they solely pay the Copper Queens coach.
In the last year, they have urged the government to assist them by revising their memorandum of understanding (MoU) to include a payment plan for the women’s team coach, as is the situation for the men.
Avram Grant, the men’s team coach, receives a monthly salary of $25,000 (about K691,950). FAZ pays $15,000 of that sum, with the government contributing $10,000.
In the last six years, The Mast newspaper disclosed in July that the Copper Queen’s coach gets paid solely by FAZ while awaiting the actualization of a proposed MoU, which had not yet been signed.
Following Nkandu’s remark in August and Hauptle’s strong links to Zambia, it is unclear whether the government and FAZ have finally reached an agreement on the payment plan for the Copper Queens’ coach.
Is Hauptle interested in the Copper Queens job?
Last year, Hauptle confirmed that she had been following the Copper Queens before going to Ghana, revealing that she almost signed Barbra Banda when coaching SC Sand in Germany.
When the Ghana Women’s National Team lost to Zambia in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualifiers in February, Hauptle praised the Copper Queens, saying they are a good team to coach but needed to “adjustt their tactical screws.”
Her statement elicited mixed reactions, but the majority of Zambian fans appeared to agree with her. Some even asked FAZ on social media to consider hiring her as Copper Queens’ coach to replace Mwape, whose tactics were criticized.
This came after Zambia struggled to beat Hauptle’s side. Ghana led 3-2 in the second leg of the Olympic qualifier until the final minute, when Barbra Banda scored a free kick for a 3-3 draw to secure a 4-3 aggregate win.
Hauptle on Zambian players
After that match in Febraury, Hauptle maintained that her team outperformed Zambia. She also stated that she knew every Zambian player.
“As I told you in the pre-press conference, I watched all 21 games for Zambia last year. I know every player inside and out, and we did a very good analysis with our staff, like we always do,” she told reporters at the Levy Mwanawansa stadium in Ndola in February.
She continued: “I believe Zambia can get very far with this team, even in the top ten in the world but they need to adjust some tactical screws. There are still things to work on on this team but kudos to a fantastic team. I think it’s nice to coach them.”
Hauptle was a defender in Europe and represented Switzerland on the international level before retiring in 2009 and immediately transitioning into coaching.
She worked with youth teams in her home country before moving on to coach SC Sand in the German Frauen-Bundesliga, where she was the league’s only female coach at the time.
Hauptle left SC Sand in 2021 and, after a brief stint in Israel, moved to Ghana, where she went nine games unbeaten and helped the Black Queens qualify for 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) which will be played in July next year.
After losing to Zambia in Ndola, she vowed to continue making life difficult for the Copper Queens if they meet again at the WAFCON.
Many Zambian fans, however, believed she was positioning herself for the top job with the Copper Queens, a team she admitted to admiring.
