Sarina Wigman to be awarded Wembley statue even if England lose World Cup final

Sarina Wigman and her team will be honored outside of England's national football stadium. Credit: Getty Images/Alex Pantling

Sarina Wigman will be honored alongside her Lionesses team outside Wembley Stadium after the FA has been given permission to build a statue of the England women's team, even if they fail to win Sunday's final World Cup.

Calls for a statue to honor Wigman and her team have been growing ever since they won the European title by beating Germany last summer, and those calls will only grow with England taking part in the their first Women's World Cup final when they face Spain in Sydney.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham says negotiations are underway with Brent Council, the relevant local authority in the Wembley area, from 2022, and that the design will be the next step in the process.

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Statue of the national team captain 1966 World Cup-winning England, Bobby Moore, now stands proudly outside the national stadium, and another statue pays homage to the great rugby leagues — it hosts the Challenge Cup final every year — but there are currently no female football players . .

Bobby Moore led England to the World Cup in 1966. Photo: Jim Winslet. was «definitely unfinished» and the proposed location of the statue was described as «on Wembley grounds.»

Bullingham, speaking to reporters outside the Women's World Cup England base in the coastal town of Terrigal, about 90 minutes drive to north of Sydney on Thursday afternoon said: «We have made progress on the discussions, but I don't think we can announce more. than this.

“There are many stages that you need to go through. We have passed the first stage. You have to go through various permissions — we've been through that. The next step is to work on the design.»

«It would be right to have something outside of Wembley»

To answer the specific question, is it not time to put up a statue of Wigman, who reached the finals of major international tournaments four times in a row and twice with The Lionesses, Bullingham added, «She can get whatever she wants.» wants, she is incredible.

“In terms of statues, this is something we [considered] post-Euro, we have made progress on that and it would be right to have something to celebrate this success outside of Wembley. ”

Wigman has been successful both in England and in her native Holland. Photo: Getty Images/Lynne Cameron

Bullingham added that the potential design would be «more of a team» rather than just a statue of Wigman standing alone, but was unable to reveal any further details, adding: «Our starting point was plans around a collective [artwork] but we'll see what design ideas will come. You can imagine the iconic images that have come out of the euro. There are some brilliant things that could be produced. We assume that this is a brilliant team.

“I don't know the timing, because it's not in our hands, it's obviously related to the Brent board. I am not sure that I will be able to give you an answer to this question in the next few months.”

Wigman has already erected a monument outside the headquarters of the Royal Dutch Football Association in her native Holland, as she took over the women's football association. team to the Euro 2017 title and the 2019 World Cup final.

Cleverly and Frazier will take part in the final in Sydney. be the case before the tournament due to logistical constraints.

“[It] doesn’t disappoint at all. We always knew he couldn't [go to Sydney],” Bullingham said. “He came to see the team and wished them good luck before leaving. He sent various messages of support and he was really frank that even though we made it to the final, he unfortunately couldn't make it. It just wasn't supposed to be, unfortunately. I know that he is devoted to the Lionesses, as well as to the English. He came to see them before they took off and stated in no uncertain terms that he couldn't fly.» correspond. The Arsenal defender, who underwent knee surgery in April, also attended the Lionesses' quarter-final victory over Colombia.

Bullingham also confirmed Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Secretary of State for Digital Lucy Fraser, Culture, Media & Sport, both will take part in the final to represent the UK government. It is clear, however, that the Prime Minister will not be there.

England aims to win their first Women's World Cup and only their second senior national trophy since 1966.

World Cup Final: England vs. Spain