Sarina Wiegman: Absurd to question if women can coach men
Sarina Wiegman has described as “absurd” the questioning of whether women can coach men’s teams and says the debate does females a “disservice” after it emerged this summer that she could be a candidate to replace Gareth Southgate.
In August, the Football Association’s chief executive Mark Bullingham said during England’s run to the final of the Women’s World Cup that Wiegman “could do anything she wants in football” and did not rule out the 54-year-old from one day following Southgate as the men’s national team head coach.
Writing in her book What it Takes – My Playbook on Life and Leadership, Wiegman, while not directly responding to those words, nor specifically referencing Southgate’s role, discusses the topic of women coaching men more broadly and writes in her epilogue: “People often wonder if a female coach can lead a men’s team. This question does a disservice to women. Of course a woman can coach a men’s team.
“It’s absurd to even question or debate this, just like it’s absurd to question if a man can coach a women’s team.”
The Lionesses head coach says her book is “not an autobiography” but more of a coaching and leadership guide, as she shares her experiences of managing the Dutch and English sides over the past four major tournaments plus the Tokyo Olympics.
She opens up movingly in the book about the heart-breaking loss of her beloved sister, Diana, who died of ovarian cancer just weeks before England’s Euros triumph. The book also includes contributions from a number of her players and staff, including England’s Lucy Bronze, Mary Earps and Jill Scott.
Wiegman has won back-to-back European Championships with the Netherlands and England and has reached consecutive World Cup finals as a coach. Pressed on whether she would be considered by the FA for the men’s national team job, Bullingham had said in August: “I’m really happy with the job she’s doing and I hope she stays doing that job for a long time. If at some point in the future she decides she wants to move into the men’s game, I think that would be a really interesting discussion but that’s for her, right?
“And I don’t think we should view it as a step up. If she decides at some point in the future to go in a different direction, I think she’s perfectly capable of [it].”
No woman has yet been appointed to manage a professional men’s side for a competitive league fixture in England.
Asked about the differences between the men’s and women’s games, when speaking to a small group of reporters amidst the launch of her book in a Soho hotel on Wednesday, Wiegman added: “I don’t think you should just say ‘women’s football and men’s football’. Football is football. Why do we always compare?
“We don’t compare when it’s tennis. The world is different [now]. Football for women was not always accepted, but football now for women and girls is cool. That changed over the years, and I’ve lived that change so that’s really incredible, that’s really nice.”
The Dutchwoman also says she is currently undecided on whether her future lies in the international game or in club football, adding in her book: “I’ve had the opportunity to do both, and I enjoy them equally
“Right now, I haven’t decided if I want to continue being a national team head coach or switch to being a club coach. But what I do know is, I want to work at the highest level. I won’t make any compromises when it comes to that.
“I really enjoy my work with the FA, where we operate at the top level, and I believe in staying loyal and building something meaningful wherever I’m employed.
“In my journey of making important choices, my family has always been a crucial factor.”
Wiegman is under contract with the Lionesses until 2025’s Women’s Euros in Switzerland, where England will seek to defend the title they won under her charge in 2022.
