Corinne Diacre is no longer alone

Corinne Diacre remains a special case in European football. Not because of the putsch of her players of which she was the victim a year ago while she was at the head of the Bleues but thanks to her time on the Clermont bench. The former player had indeed made football history by becoming the first woman to sit on the bench of a professional men’s team, at least permanently. In the summer of 2014, after the about-face of the Portuguese Helena Costa, the president of Clermont, Claude Michy, made her the new coach of the Auvergne club, then in Ligue 2.

Before Corinne Diacre, the only other example of a woman leading a professional team was to be found in Italy. In 1999, Carolina Morace, a former Transalpine international with 150 caps and renowned television commentator, became the coach of Viterbese, then in the third division. A choice of the whimsical Luciano Gaucci, who did not hesitate to play a Serie A match for Saadi Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader, in Perugia in 2004. But the experience turned into a farce and the technician resigned after only two matches…

Since Corinne Diacre, no other woman has had a chance at the head of a top professional team. But in Germany, Marie-Louise Eta became the first woman to manage a Bundesliga match this Sunday during the bland success in Darmstadt. Following the suspension of coach Nenad Bjelica for a bad gesture on Leroy Sané during the German Cup match against Bayern, the former midfielder, appointed assistant coach last fall, took his place on the Union Berlin bench this Sunday. A baptism and great first crowned with a successful victory, Lucas Tousart’s teammates winning 1-0 against Darmstadt.