France || Helena Costa, a Portuguese female coach nicknamed as ‘Mourinho in a petticoat’, has made football history by becoming the first woman to manage a team of the top two divisions of the main European leagues.
The 36-year-old has been appointed as the manager of Clermont Foot, currently placed 14th in France’s Ligue2, and will take charge at the end of the season.
The decision was announced on May 7 on the club’s website.
Explaining the unprecedented decision, Clermont’s president Claude Michy told AFP that “there is a moment in life in which you have to be more of a forerunner than a follower”.
And so far so good. FIFA president Joseph Blatter has congratulated Costa and praised the decision, saying it is “good news for women in today’s football”.
French Minister of Sport Najat Vallaud-Belkacem has also commended Clermont’s president for “understanding that giving a place to women is the future of professional football”.
The club’s footballers also welcomed the news. Striker Rémy Dugimont told L’Equipe newspaper: “It is a surprise, a big surprise. It came out of nowhere but it is good. It will be a unique experience, it creates a buzz.”
Before joining Clermont, Costa managed Benfica’s youth teams and some of Portugal’s top female sides, winning the national title in 2007 and 2008 with 1º de Dezembro.
She then worked as a scout for Scottish giants Celtic up until 2011, before serving as the manager of both Qatar and Iran’s national teams.
