CHRIS SUTTON and IAN LADYMAN clash over whether England women’s boss Sarina Wiegman should be paid the same as Gareth Southgate on Mail Sport’s new podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off’
- Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman is paid £4.6m less than Gareth Southgate
- Chris Sutton and Ian Ladyman clashed over the difference between the two roles
- WATCH: ‘It All Begins’ – Episode 2 – The brand new football show from Mail Sport
Chris Sutton has argued that Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman’s salary should be much closer to that of her male counterpart Gareth Southgate.
Wiegman led England to the final of the Women’s World Cup on Sunday, where they lost 1-0 to Spain.
The defeat was only her second in 39 games in charge of the Lionesses, who also won the European Championship under her last summer.
As Ian Ladyman explains in Mail Sport’s new podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off’, Wiegman is paid around £400,000 a year for her role, while English gentleman boss Gareth Southgate’s salary is around £5 million a year.
Sutton argued that the two managers should be paid the same because they effectively perform the same role, while Ladyman argued that there was some justification for a pay gap given the additional responsibility at Southgate.
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Chris Sutton and Ian Ladyman clash over whether Sarina Wiegman should be paid the same as Gareth Southgate
Wiegman is paid around £4.6m less than her male counterpart despite winning the European Championship with England and taking them to the World Cup final
“Sarina Wiegman has a brilliant coaching job, Gareth Southgate’s job is much more than coaching,” said Ladyman, “he is a figurehead for the FA. When Gareth Southgate speaks, his words are heard all over the world, they are heard all over Europe.
“You get paid to take on that responsibility, and because of the nature of the modern world, Gareth’s responsibility is bigger and broader.”
Sutton hit back, replying, “But that’s not why someone should get a wage like that and someone else shouldn’t.” I think Sarina Wiegman carries that responsibility in the same way Gareth Southgate does.
“It shouldn’t work that because Gareth Southgate gets more flack from supporters, which is essentially what you’re saying, he should get paid £4.6 million more.”
“You actually say that there is a difference in the jobs and that is absolutely not the case.”
Ladyman admitted that the pay gap between the two managers was “too great,” pointing out that Wiegman is likely to negotiate a new deal amid US interest, which could earn her a significant pay rise.
England was defeated 1-0 in the World Cup final on Sunday by an impressive Spanish team
Wiegman also led Lionesses to the European Championship last year and has lost only two of the 39 games
He further questioned why fans and pundits are so eager to make the comparison between the men’s and women’s game, adding: “I still don’t understand why there is such a need to compare, doesn’t happen in cricket, don’t’ doesn’t happen in golf.
“I think what we should do for women’s football is that we should enjoy it and nurture it, we should make it possible, because the participation rate in the province should be higher, there should be more opportunities.
“We need to fund it, we need to look at it because I think some of the attendances in the WSL are still not as high as they could be, we need to do all those things, and then just let it be and grow into what it is going to be.
“It has already gone to the moon without anyone else interfering, let it be.”
It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.
It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music And Spotify