Sarina Wigman took England to the World Cup final a year after her Euro triumph. Credit: Getty Images/Maryam Majid
Sarina Wigman will be considered to succeed Gareth Southgate as England's men's manager if she wants the job, as FA chief executive Mark Bullingham has admitted he's open to nominating a woman.
England women's team manager Wigman stands on the cusp of history after leading the Lionesses to Sunday's final, where a victory over Spain ended a 57-year wait for a World Cup win.
Having led the Liones to European Championship victory last summer, Wigman's stock has never been higher and Bullingham admitted ahead of the deciding match in Sydney that she could do «whatever she wants in football» if she wanted to immerse herself in the men's game.< /p>
«Sarina plays Lionesses and we think it's very important that she does this job and she does it brilliantly,» Bullingham said.
“Do I think football is lagging behind other sports in terms of lack of top-level female coaches? Yes, and I think that should change, and also, do I think that Sarina could do any work in football? Yes, I'm really happy with the work she's doing and I hope she continues this work for a long time. >Wigman only lost one match as coach of the Lionesses and took the team to the next level. Photo: Getty Images/Naomi Baker «If at some point in the future she decides she wants to move into the male game, I think it's going to be a really interesting discussion, but that's for her, right? And I don't think we should see this as a step forward. If at some point in the future she decides to go in a different direction, I think she is quite capable (of that).» that any change in Wigman's role would not be considered a promotion.
«We don't like to assume that the men's team is above that,» Bullingham added. “Sarina is great at her job. Secondly, I do not like the wording when we say «this should be the best person for this job.» I think this is the best person for this job.
“This is the best person for this job, if that person was a woman, why not? But you analyze the pool of candidates for any job at a certain time. Do I think there is a really strong diverse pool of both men and women for any major national work? No, I think the talent pool for both is really low, but I don't like the idea that it has to be a man.»
«From our point of view, Sarina is doing a great job, and we We want her to keep doing it. If and when we get a vacancy in one of our senior male or female manager positions, we will select the best person for the job, who will be the best match-winning person.”
FA. obviously holds Wigman in high regard, and Bullingham has stated that he will categorically reject any offer from competitors for her services in order to build a dynasty of lionesses.
British Airways pilot delivers the latest news on the World Lioness In-Flight Championship
Wigman has already been touted in America as a possible candidate to replace outgoing US coach Vlatko Andonovski, who resigned on Thursday after the hosts' disappointing performance at this World Cup, but Bullingham said no amount of money could persuade the FA to make a decision. let her go.
The 53-year-old Dutch woman's contract with the FA runs until the summer of 2025, after the next European Championship in Switzerland, where the Lionesses will aim to defend the trophy won last summer.
Questioned whether the FA would turn down any request to meet with Wigman, Bullingham replied: “Yes, 100 percent. It's not about the money. We are very, very happy with her and we feel that she is happy.
“We have seen a lot of rumors and look, she has a special talent. We know it. From our side, she obviously has a contract until 2025. We think she's doing a great job. Obviously we are her big supporters and I hope she feels the same way.
“So from our side we would like her to be with us for a very long time. We are very proud of what Sarina, the team and the support team have achieved.»
Wigman is highly respected throughout the world. World Cup and could finally grab the World Cup trophy if England beat Spain on Sunday. Photo: Getty Images/Naomi Baker
When asked if the FA feared Wigman would leave if they won, believing she would «finish the set» if England beat Spain on Sunday to add world glory to the European title they won in 2022, Bullingham replied: “I can't see that. It's not (her) as a person.
“We always said that we would get (talk about a new contract for Wigman) after the tournament. We had good conversations after the Euro, it will be a good time to do it. We have a little time because obviously she has a contract until 2025 and she obviously wants to rest well after that. But we are her big fans. We believe she is happy and would love to continue working with her for a long time to come.”
Bullingham added that his «long-term» goal is for the FA to pay its men's and women's international managers equally, but declined to do so anytime soon. Wigman is reported to receive an annual salary in the region of £400,000, while Southgate is believed to earn around £6m a year.
“Over time, I think (equal pay) is where you should come to,” Bullingham added. “We are not talking about rewarding people. I would say Sarina is well paid in the market she works in. Men's game is a different market. I really want these markets to come together over time and I think that's where you should go, but we're not there yet.
“Let's say Premier League managers range from 4 million to 20 million pounds sterling, roughly in that range. This is a different market. I think over time you have to build a commercial market on both sides of the sport to achieve some equality. This is what we do, we invest before we generate income to try and increase it. That should be the goal.”
Kay Cossington, who praised Wigman for fulfilling her contract with the Netherlands prior to joining England in 2021, which she said showed «personal honesty,» added: «She's an incredible person. She has embraced our English culture and our English DNA for all of our teams. I don't think she will ever lose her desire to win games in tournaments.”
A win on Sunday would have sparked massive celebrations across the country, but the tournament in England began in stark contrast after players took the unprecedented step of publicly voicing their disappointment at the FA's refusal to make a bonus deal on top of FIFA's prize pool. the parties agree to postpone the consideration of the case until the end of the World Cup.
When asked about this, Bullingham insisted that the issue would be resolved. “We understand after the tournament. There was not much time left before the tournament, FIFA announced the prize money very late and a completely different model, which led to a different type of discussion. It's more of a time issue than anything else. The players were in a strong (negotiating) position before and in a strong position now. I think we'll come to a good decision.»
Bullingham also says the FA «would like» to host the men's or women's World Cup «one day», but he could not confirm whether England would qualify for the 2031 women's edition. “We are obviously aware that we have had many tournaments. We have applied for the (men's) Euro 2028. (For the women's tournaments) if you look at the situation, you have Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands all vying for 2027. not be a European contender for 2031. If they fail, 2031 becomes a possibility.
«We may have the opportunity to look at it, so potentially be the one after that, but if you're asking us if we want to host a championship World Cup, of course, we want. We think we can do a great job.”
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