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 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’s All Kicking Off’ – Episode 2 – Mail Sport’s brand new football show
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 the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday, where they agonisingly lost 1-0 to Spain.
The defeat was just her second in 39 games in charge of the Lionesses, who also won the Euros 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 England men’s boss Gareth Southgate’s salary sits at around £5million per year.
Sutton felt the two managers should be paid the same as they effectively carry out the same role, while Ladyman argued there was some justification for a pay gap given the added responsibility on Southgate.
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Chris Sutton and Ian Ladyman clashed over whether Sarina Wiegman should be paid the same as Gareth Southgate
Wiegman is paid around £4.6million less than her male counterpart despite winning the Euros with England and taking them to the World Cup final
‘Sarina Wiegman does a brilliant coaching job, Gareth Southgate’s job is much more than coaching,’ Ladyman said, ‘he is a figurehead for the FA. When Gareth Southgate speaks, his words are kind of heard around the world, they’re heard around Europe.
‘You are paid to carry that responsibility, and because of the nature of the modern world, Gareth’s responsibility is greater and wider.’
Sutton hit back, replying: ‘But that’s not a basis of why someone should be paid such a wage 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 takes more flack from supporters, which is essentially what you’re saying, then he should be paid £4.6million more.’
‘You’re essentially saying there is a difference in the jobs and there absolutely isn’t.’
Ladyman conceded that the gap in pay was ‘too great’ between the two managers, and pointed out that Wiegman is likely to negotiate a new deal amid interest from the USA, which may grant her a significant pay rise.
England were beaten 1-0 by an impressive Spain side in Sunday’s World Cup final
Wiegman also led Lionesses to the Euros last year and has lost just two of 39 games in charge
He went on to question why fans and pundits are so eager to make the comparison between the men’s and the women’s game, adding: ‘I still don’t understand why there is this need to compare, doesn’t happen in cricket, doesn’t happen in golf.
‘What we need to do for women’s football, in my opinion, is that we need to enjoy it and cherish it, we need to enable it, because participation rates around the county need to be higher, there needs to be more opportunity.
‘We need to fund it, we need to watch it, because I think some attendances in the WSL are still not as high as they might be, we need to do all of those things, and then just let it be and let it grow into what it’s going to be.
‘It’s already gone towards the moon without anyone else getting involved, 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
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