“Am I in a fairy tale here?” asked Sarina Wiegman recently after reaching the World Cup final. And it’s probably not just the coach of the English footballers who was wondering that at that moment. But also the Football Association (FA), which in its long history has had to deal with bankruptcies, bad luck and mishaps for both women and men. Since the home World Cup success in 1966, England had been waiting for a tournament victory – until Dutchwoman Wiegman immediately led the women to the 2022 European Championship title and now almost to the world throne.
Because the men have recently achieved similarly respectable, albeit titleless, tournament performances under national coach Gareth Southgate, the FA has just less need to look for potential successors. Rather, it must try to extend the contracts with existing staff. Southgate’s contract ends in 2024, Wiegman is employed until 2025. The durations cover the upcoming tournaments, the men’s European Championship 2024 as well as the Olympic Games 2024 and the women’s European Championship 2025. But the planning is already starting now.
The similarities between Southgate and Wiegman are striking
The FA appears keen to continue working with Wiegman and Southgate. Unlike in the past, the association is in a strong negotiating position. The women’s and men’s selection teams are among the best in the world, and together they currently form the strongest football faction in a nation. But does a contract extension also fit with the beliefs of Southgate and Wiegman?
Both have aroused international interest with their work in recent years. Southgate is also one of the longest-serving selection coaches; he has been in charge of the Three Lions since autumn 2016. He has not yet given any public indication as to whether he could imagine staying. His future probably depends on his team’s performance at the European Championships in Germany anyway. The English, who have so far only won, would probably no longer be able to qualify with another success against Ukraine in Breslau, Poland, on Saturday.
For this reason, the FA has to plan in two ways when it comes to the men’s coaching position, with and without Southgate. Due to the increased trust, it cannot be assumed that the association would ignore the deserved Southgate. A farewell therefore only seems conceivable if he declares it himself. In this case, the FA had two options when looking for a successor: a well-known club coach (such as Pep Guardiola or Jürgen Klopp) or an internal association solution. Wiegman would be the obvious solution here – assuming she can imagine working in men’s football.
Open detailed view
Hard-working, strategically clever, sometimes too dogmatic: Gareth Southgate.
(Foto: Steve Bond/Imago)
FA managing director Mark Bullingham made this idea ripe for discussion when he recently announced that they were generally not looking for the best man, but rather the best person for the national coaching position. From his point of view, Wiegman could take on “any job” with her knowledge. No association head of a well-known football nation has ever placed the idea of hiring a woman as the men’s coach for the first time so prominently. But: Is such a constellation realistic? Or is she just considering the FA to persuade Wiegman to stay because the USA (for the women) and the Netherlands (for the men) also seem to be interested in her?
Wiegman’s winning aura once convinced the England association to hire a non-British coach for the women’s team for the first time in history. At the time, her nomination seemed like a desperate attempt to break the vicious circle of titlelessness. They failed, almost as fatefully as their male colleagues, always right before the goal. But with Wiegman, belief in her own strength came back, for a simple reason: because she had already won the European Championship title with the Netherlands in 2017.
Her personality immediately suited the needs of England. With her typically Dutch directness, she dispelled the doubts. Her approach was similar to that of her colleague. Wiegman and Southgate have much more in common than just age; both are 53: they impress with their knowledge of human nature, enthusiasm for work, detailed planning and strategic skills. Their serious, authoritative demeanor and their social attitudes also seem identical. Nevertheless, they do not shy away from uncomfortable decisions. These qualities make Wiegman and Southgate the general managers many would want at the helm of their organization.
Even the criticism they sometimes receive reads in a similar way. Both are sometimes accused of being too dogmatic in their views. They trust their thorough preparatory work more than spontaneous ideas. And the personality cult that has emerged in England also has similarities: Southgate’s vest was a bestseller at the 2018 World Cup, and the Mail tabloid recently named Wiegman the “Queen Sarina of the Lionesses.” Such hype is certainly not their business.
If Southgate were to step down soon, it is quite conceivable that he would recommend his colleague as his successor. As soon as Wiegman was hired, he is said to have helped her find her way in the new association. But the best solution for the FA is probably to keep both.
