In a footballing first a woman will coach a male outfit in Italy when former player Patrizia Panico takes the helm of the national under-16 team.

Rated the best female footballer from Italy, Panico is assistant for the under-16s but the head coach Daniele Zoratto is set to take over the under-19 side temporarily, propelling her into the top post for a spell.

“There are many walls still to break down,” said the 42-year-old Panico of the daily barriers women face in Italy, which lags some other countries in Europe when it comes to equality.
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“But this will help them fall.”

“To be the first woman to coach a male side is a huge success for me,” added Panico, who scored 110 goals for Italy in a mammoth 204 international appearances.

The two games Panico will oversee while Zoratto is away are against Germany on March 22 and 24.