Helena Costa Becomes First Woman to Coach a Professional Football Team in France
In a historic move for French football, Portuguese coach Helena Costa, 36, will take the helm of Ligue 2 club Clermont Foot for the upcoming season, making her the first woman to coach a professional football team in France. The club made the announcement on Wednesday, confirming that Costa would succeed veteran coach Régis Brouard, who is leaving the team after a long tenure.
Costa’s appointment is a significant milestone in the fight for gender equality in football, as she becomes the first woman to manage a professional male football team in France. The announcement has been met with both excitement and surprise, including from some of the club’s players, such as Beninese defender Emmanuel Imorou.
Imorou admitted to being initially skeptical about the news when it first emerged. “I took it for a rumor… And when the sporting director announced this decision to us, we were all surprised,” he said in an interview with Francefootball. “We all made incredible faces… Afterwards, we discussed it among ourselves. Some laughed, others a little less… Honestly, it was cool, there wasn’t much skepticism.”
The 31-year-old, who plays for Clermont Foot, expressed a mixture of curiosity and openness towards the appointment. “Changing coaches is already a strange experience, so changing coaches for a woman… We’ll see things differently, but I have no preconceived notions about her knowledge of football,” he said.
However, Imorou also acknowledged that the transition might come with its challenges, particularly in terms of dynamics within the squad. “Obeying a woman? That can be a problem. Not for me, but for others,” he noted, referring to the potential hurdles of adapting to a female manager in a traditionally male-dominated environment.
Costa, who has previously coached in both Portugal and Qatar, is widely respected for her expertise and coaching credentials. Her appointment marks a step forward for women in football management, and it remains to be seen how she will navigate the challenges of managing a professional men’s team.
As Clermont Foot prepares for the upcoming season, all eyes will be on Costa as she seeks to make her mark in French football, breaking new ground and setting an example for future generations of women aspiring to enter the managerial ranks.
