Helena Costa’s brusque and unexplained decision means that France won’t have, after all, its first female professional football manager
She was to become the first woman to manage a professional football club and today was going to be her first day.
Instead of getting down to the business of preparing 2nd-division side Clermont Foot 63 for the coming season, however, she instead issued a communiqué published on club’s site saying that she wouldn’t be taking up the reigns in the historical role. Club president Claude Michy said that “this decision is sudden and surprising”.
The announcement of her appointment only last month caused a sensation and was reported around the world as a historical first. Today, however, the club are left with the task of looking for a new manager all over again. Michy himself seems to have kicked off the sexist nature of comments. At a loss for an explanation for Costa’s sudden departure, he said: “She’s a woman, so it could be any number of things. I’m not Holy God and I’m not divine! There are futile reasons, but nothing serious. She’ll be taking her secret with her.”
Even if the curious public were left in the dark about why Costa dropped the job, that didn’t stop certain Twitter users (not only male ones either) from posting some sexist-flavoured explanations: summer sales, periods and “doesn’t have the balls for the job” were amongst the many suggestions proffered, all with the tongue firmly in cheek. Perhaps Clermont Foot 63 should check the contract for the existence of a woman’s prerogative…