Female coach rejects Clermont role

Helena Costa has decided to refuse the chance for the role of head coach at Clermont Foot next season, the French club say.

Portuguese Costa, 36, had been the highest-profile female manager to be put in charge of a men's team in European football when she was appointed in May.
Club president Claude Michy said she had "decided not to honour her commitments".
"This decision was sudden and surprising," he added. The reasons for Costa's decision have not yet been made known.
before accepting the job at second-tier club Clermont, Costa was coach of the Iran women's team and had also worked as a scout for Celtic and a youth coach at Benfica in Portugal. Costa's appointment had been celebrated as a beautiful moment for women in football.
"The decision will help the club enter a new era," Clermont said in a statement at the time. The club was praised by French women's minister Najat Belkacem for "understanding that giving a place to women is the future of professional football".

Before Costa was unveiled at Clermont, the highest-profile female coach of a men's team in Europe was Carolina Morace, who took charge of Italian Serie C1 team Viterbese for two matches in 1999.
"I deeply regret this situation," Michy said in a statement. "I thank all those who have supported me. The operation of the club will continue to prepare for the new season."
Speaking after she was named Clermont coach, Costa assured that she was "not afraid" of coaching a men's team. "If I didn't think I'm capable of this, I wouldn't be here," she said.
She had also expressed hopes that her appointment would "open doors" for other female coaches in men's football.
Costa began her lustrous career at Benfica from 1997, and she went on to spend 13 years at the Lisbon club. She then took charge of Portuguese lower-league men's team Cheleirense, where she won the Lisbon regional championship in 2006.
She went on lead the Portuguese women's side Sociedade Uniao 1 Dezembro to two league titles in 2007 and 2008 respectively, winning qualification into the Women's Champions League.

Costa also led Qatar's women to their first international victory, a 4-1 win over Maldives in 2012, but was unsuccessful as she tried to guide Iran to a debut appearance at the 2015 Women's World Cup finals.
She was set to replace former Montpellier midfielder Regis Brouard at Clermont. who led the club to a 14th place finish in Ligue 2 last season.