Fabiana Guedes, Atlético-MG coach, to assist Brazil Women vs USA | OneFootball

Fabiana Guedes, coach of the Minas Gerais team, will join the National Team coaching staff in June for the FIFA international friendliesCredits: Atlético-MG

With 26 years of experience in football—17 as a player and nine as an assistant and coach—Fabiana Guedes will be part of the coaching staff for the Women’s National Team friendlies against the United States in São Paulo and Fortaleza on June 6 and 9. Currently in charge of Vingadoras, Atlético-MG’s women’s team, the coach will join Arthur Elias and Rodrigo Iglesias on the national team’s technical staff for the two matches.

“As a player, I dreamed a lot about playing against the USA. As an assistant coach and head coach, I see this as a high-level friendly, a classic in women’s football. For me, it’s an opportunity to contribute and to learn in the best way possible. I’m already studying the United States a lot, and I want to bring what I learn back to the club as well,” said Fabiana.

In March, FIFA announced a new rule for women’s football, both at the senior and youth levels. All teams participating in the organization’s women’s competitions must have at least two women on the coaching staff, with one of those professionals serving as either head coach or assistant coach. Approved by the FIFA Council, the rule will take effect starting with the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in September in Poland.

“We are getting ahead of the FIFA rule. Starting with these friendlies, this will be standard practice for the senior national team, whether with our own coaches from the youth ranks or professionals called up to join us, as in Fabiana’s case,” explained Cris Gambaré, CBF’s coordinator of women’s national teams.

She noted that the senior Women’s National Team delegation already includes other female professionals and that the U-20, U-17, and U-15 teams are coached by Camilla Orlando, Rilany Silva, and Beatriz Vaz e Silva, respectively.

A decisive role in Atlético’s rebuilding

As a player, Fabi Guedes was with the Brazilian National Team in 2007 and also played women’s football in England for Keynsham Town, the club where she ended her playing career and began her path as a coach.

Holding a degree in Physical Education and a postgraduate specialization in Football, with a CBF Pro License, Fabi worked as an assistant coach at Red Bull Bragantino, the same role she held at Audax (2018) and Santos (2021).

A year ago, Fabiana took over Atlético-MG’s women’s team and has played a decisive role in rebuilding the squad. “When I arrived, our goal was to get Galo promoted and rebuild the women’s project, because the team had been relegated to the second division and was stuck there, with promotion very uncertain. We achieved promotion and planned for the following year. We want to build structure at the club, create an identity with the women’s team, and compete for bigger achievements,” she said.

For Ricardo Guedes, Atlético’s women’s football manager, the call-up is recognition of the successful work done by the coach and the club: “The National Team is the pinnacle for any professional, and at Galo it’s no different. Being able to represent our country, to represent women’s football—which unfortunately still has to prove itself every single day—is surreal, and there couldn’t have been a better choice. For Atlético, it’s extremely important at this moment of rebuilding women’s football to have representation in the National Team.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.