England FA: We’d reject any offer for Sarina Wiegman from United States
- Vlatko Andonovski resigned as United States manager after their World Cup elimination
- Bullingham says the FA are not open to discussions if the United States approached them
- Wiegman's contract expires in 2025 but the FA are hopeful she may continue on longer
By Emily Keogh
The CEO of the England Football Association, Mark Bullingham, has insisted that they would reject any offer for Sarina Wiegman if the United States made an approach.
As first revealed by 90min, Vlatko Andonovski resigned from his position as United States manager in the aftermath of their elimination from the Women's World Cup this summer.
Wiegman has been touted as a potential replacement for the Moldova-American manager since speculation of his departure first began, but Bullingham has made it clear England would not even entertain interest from the United States.
"Yup, 100%," Bullingham said when asked if the FA would reject the United States' advances.
"We’ve seen lots of rumours, and look, she is a special talent. We know that from our side, she’s obviously contracted through until 2025. We think she’s doing a great job."
Wiegman is regarded as one of the best managers in world football, winning the FIFA Best Women's Coach award three times in 2017,2020 and 2022.
She led the Netherlands to victory at the 2017 European Championships and a World Cup final in 2019 before her tenure began with England in 2021. Currently, Wiegman has registered the same achievements with the Lionesses, with the ability to become a World Cup-winning manager 13 months after her European victory when England take on Spain in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final in Sydney on 20 August.
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Wiegman is under contract with England until the conclusion of the European Championships in 2025 but Bullingham is keen to extend that relationship.
"From our side, she is someone we’d like to have with us for a very long time," he confessed.
Bullingham would not confirm if contract talks were ongoing or would be scheduled after the World Cup, adding: "All I’ll say is we’re massive fans of her. We believe she’s happy, and we’d love to continue working with her for a long time."
Despite the glowing praise the CEO adorned on Wiegman, the inequality in pay between her and her male counterpart, Gareth Southgate, is stark.
While Bullingham admitted he hopes to see that gap bridged one day, he insisted the difference in revenues between men's and women's football makes parity in wages unfeasible at this point.
"If you look at the disparity in the market and the income coming in, that’s why you’ve got a difference," he said. "I would say that Sarina is, within the market she operates, well-paid.
"And if you look at the comparison in the men’s game, it’s a different market. I really want those markets to merge over time, and I think that’s where you’ve got to go, but we’re not there yet."