First pro female manager Helena Costa says people should look at her as `normal coach`

Washington: France`s first ever professional female coach for a male team, Helena Costa, who manages Ligue 2 side Clermont Foot, has said that people should look at her as a normal coach.

Costa, who is the first female to be given the head job in the top two divisions of one of Europe`s big five leagues Spain, Germany, England, Italy and France, said that she knows that managing Clermont is a big step and it can open other doors too. According to CNN, Costa, who left her role as coach of the Iranian national women`s team to accept the position with Clermont, said that she knows it would be a big step because she has had a career before in a man`s world mainly. While addressing the media, the Portuguese said that she can understand their surprise and the quantity of press and the impact but, it is 2014 and her managing a male team should be a normal thing. Costa, who took charge of Clermont after the season got over in France, has already made big plans for her first season in charge of the club that finished at the 14th place in Ligue 2, the report added.