NORAH HÄUPTLE RESIGNS AS SHEPOLOPOLO HEAD COACH BUT IS OPEN TO DIALOGUE IF FAZ IS WILLING TO MAKE REFORMS
SHEPOLOPOLO Head coach Norah Häuptle resigns and won’t be part of the Brazil FIFA Series games, citing that standards in several areas are not going in the right direction for success.
“As leader and role model with a clear attitude I want to step out with a transparent statement,” she wrote in part.
Coach Nora shared the development in a LinkedIn post titled, “Planting trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” A title that positions her as a leader who prioritises sustainability over short term wins.
The coach acknowledged that women’s football faced challenges the previous year, the Football Association of Zambia faced leadership changes and the WAFCON tournament postponement, but the Shepolopolo still performed well. However, she warned that structural weaknesses could undermine long-term competitiveness.
She added, “As it is my task as Head Coach to manage our journey towards a high winning probability, I summarized a manifest of 10 keys to sustainable success for the Copper Queens.”
She continued, “A detailed report has been provided on the current state of art, with suggested solutions on several issues. It should serve as a discussion base to work together for a better environment.”
Nora Häuptle shared three key manifest themes: Love, Passion, and Unity. She wrote, and we quote:
“LOVE for the Zambian football, our team and our beloved fan community requires us to drive for change. We can never predict a sportive outcome, but we can consistent develop and work on our performance and the results will pay off. Key pillars to build quality standards are frequent high-level games, staff assessments, technology, administrative time-lines for visas & flights, FAz internal decision lines & competences with consistent key positions, budgeting and remunerations,” her first manifest.
“PASSION requests 100% commitment and binding solutions in all mentioned areas. A little bit less effort is not enough to be succesful on the highest performance level. Many African countries showed in the last years massive improvements in Women’s Football. We need to establish over a Zambian Women’s Football Strategy high performance standards, to stay sustainable competitive in future,” her second manifest.
“UNITY is the understanding that we all need to take our responsibility to initiate change together. All stakeholders should underline their interests to the team and serve primary for the players. It is our duty to leave a legacy for all upcoming footballers in Zambia,” her third manifest.
However, Nora Häuptle said that her departure and not leading Zambia’s Shepolopolo at the FIFA Series in Brazil is a stance to give weight to her manifest.
She is, however, open to dialogue and negotiation, signaling that this is not abandonment but a strategic stand to force reform.
