Ten years later, Corinne Diacre still remains an exception. Having become the first woman to lead a professional men's team in the summer of 2014, the former captain of the Blues has still not had a successor. Her arrival in Clermont was the result of a fortunate combination of circumstances since the position was initially to go to the Portuguese Helena Costa. But the latter's renunciation forced Claude Michy, the president of Clermont, to review his plans.
His appointment was surprising given his lack of experience, limited at that time to his role as assistant alongside Bruno Bini, the coach of the French women's team.
“I had sent applications to many clubs to coach women's teams and I received no response,
she had explained. I wasn't sure if I would have this opportunity twice. I couldn't refuse. I knew that by accepting I would be seen as the only woman in a man's world, and that's exactly what happened. From my point of view, Clermont needed a coach and they recruited me for this position. It was the media that talked more about me as a woman than as a coach. »
Corinne Deacon « never assumed its pioneering role”
According to Sonia Souid, at the origin of her arrival, Corinne Diacre was not spared on the Clermont bench. “It’s true that in Clermont, she’s not doing any worse than her predecessors, but we still gave her a hard time. People said she was poorly dressed, that she didn't smile… Would we do that with a male coach? I don't think so »she confided in an interview with So Foot.
The agent does not, however, spare the former coach of the French women's team. “The main difference between us is that I am a woman who wants to help women and that, in my opinion, Corinne Diacre does not have that in her. She knows who allowed her to sign at the club, and I would have liked her not to close herself off to me once in office, that I could discuss things with her, suggest things as her agent. It would have allowed us to have a mutually enriching relationship,” she regretted.
“In fact, she never assumed her role as a pioneer, and today, when we ask girls who want to become a coach their role model, they never cite Corinne Diacre,” she lamented again. I am aware that I am on my own scale and I am still fighting today for all future little Sonias. »
