On Thursday, FIFA ruled that every team in their women's football tournaments must include at least one female head coach or assistant coach. The regulations will come into effect during the under-17s and under-20s Women's World Cup and Women's Champions Cup this year, but they will also apply to all senior tournaments going forward.
The rules include both domestic clubs and national teams, meaning that Celtic Women will be affected by the legislation. Now, manager Grant Scott has had his say on the rules, revealing not only his own thoughts, but those of the players.
Speaking to The Scottish Sun, Scott said:
"I think it sets a dangerous precedent. The obvious question it then raises is whether or not that directive then is the same in the men’s game. If so, would that mean that we can’t have a woman in charge of a men’s team? For me, it has to always be about who is the best person for the job."
Scott revealed that the players were also talking about the changes:
"Funnily enough, when I went into training on Friday morning, a few of the players here were talking about it, and the feedback from them was that they didn’t care who was in charge.
In all honesty, if you ask a player whether they want a male or a female coach, they will tell you that they don’t care if it is a man, a woman or someone with two heads – all they want is someone in charge who can make them a better player and organise a team."
Scott thinks of himself as a vocal advocate for equal opportunities, speaking about his experience:
"I like to think of myself as someone who has been a vocal advocate for equal opportunities within the game for women.
I have been involved in women’s football for 18 years, and I am a passionate supporter of it. Again, I’d like to think that anyone I’ve ever worked with would tell you that.
But for me, ultimately, we have to have people in key roles who are the best fit for the job, regardless of whether that is a man or a woman."
Grant Scott is correct about the changes
Scott is right about the rule change. They seemingly came out of nowhere, and it makes no sense to implement.
You can see where FIFA are coming from though. They want more women to get into football coaching, but this is not the right way to go about it. It certainly won't only be Celtic Women players who don't care who coaches them either. If someone is right for the job, no matter their gender, they should be respected in their role.
Celtic have had success under both male and female managers. Fran Alonso led the side to a Women's Scottish Cup win at Hampden, with Elena Sadiku replacing him and taking the Hoops to a historic first league title. Now, Celtic are still statistically in the title race under Scott.
It'll be interesting to see how this ruling will end up affecting clubs in the Scottish Women's Premier League. It remains to be seen how much of an impact it will have, but we will find out soon enough.