Chelsea boss Emma Hayes has said England‘s Sarina Wiegman could manage a team in men’s football after she guided the Lionesses to the 2022 European Championship trophy.
Wiegman’s side beat Germany 2-1 in the Euro 2022 final on Sunday to end England women’s wait for a major trophy and win the country’s first senior title since 1966.
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The FA are keen to extend Wiegman’s deal after England’s success, and Hayes thinks the Lionesses coach could transfer her skills to the men’s game.
“She is an amazing manager,” Hayes told the Press Association. “It’s the same sport, she just manages women rather than men at an extremely high level.
“I think some of the opinions in and around whether women could do that job are absolute nonsense. Of course, she could do the job. I think it is time for a lot of things to be on more of an equal footing.”
England are unbeaten since Wiegman took over in September last year, winning 18 of 20 games, scoring 106 goals and conceding just five times.
And Hayes, who has won five Women’s Super League titles with Chelsea, called for greater investment in women’s coaching as well as the grassroots game after England’s Euro win.
“For me, there has to be an increase in investment across the game, and when it comes to coaching into the men’s game it has to be a pre-requisite for successful teams,” Hayes said. “I think it is time for those changes to happen.
“You’ve got to invest in not only free access for the kids, but also coaching, because seeing Sarina on the touchline last night I think is immense for any young girl who aspires to grow up being a coach. We need to invest in female coaches as well.”
Meanwhile, United States World Cup winner Brandi Chastain has said Chloe Kelly’s extra-time winner for England against Germany and memorable celebration could be the catalyst for change in the United Kingdom’s culture.
Kelly ripped off her shirt after scoring in the 110th minute against Germany, evoking images of Chastain’s celebration when she scored the winning penalty for the U.S. against China in the 1999 World Cup final.
Chastain, who posted a Tweet saying “I see you” to Kelly after Sunday’s Euro 2022 final, told the Telegraph: “Your culture in England and the U.K. will forever be changed for the positive.
“To see her celebrate like that put a very big smile on my face. It immediately made me think of how that moment will live on forever for the people who have witnessed it, what it will do for generations of young people — not just girls — and what it will do for the cultural construct of where football stands for boys and girls forever. It will make change immediately, which is phenomenal.”