Sarina Wiegman’s sister: why did Lionesses coach kiss her wrist during England vs Germany final at Euro 2022?

Lionesses’ head coach Sarina Wiegman was noticed by fans occasionally kissing a wristband she was wearing at the historic Euro final on Sunday (31 July).

It has been revealed the gesture had a deep significance to her.

Just a month before the championship, her sister passed away, and she took time away from the camp to grieve with her family.

When she returned, the team asked if they could wear black mourning bands in their first game, in recognition of her loss.

What did Sarina Wiegman say about the bracelet?

At the time, she told the Sun: "They are such great people, and it shows how close we are.

“It was a great gesture, and I’m sure my sister would have been proud."

Following England’s win on Sunday, one of the first things Wiegman did was kiss a bracelet she was wearing.

She said: "I’m kissing this little armband that was my sister’s.

“My sister passed away during our prep camps.”

She added: "That’s a really big miss, because she’s my mate.

"She would have been here, she went to every game, so she would have been really proud of me, and I was really proud of her too."

In a reference to the moment when German midfielder Lina Magull smashed a shot on target, to be denied by the woodwork, Wiegman smiled and added: "But I think she was here, I think she was on the crossbar."

What happened in the Women’s Euro final?

Wiegman’s team defeated Germany 2-1 after extra time in front of more than 87,000 fans.

It was a record crowd for any match at a European Championships.

Wiegman became the first England manager since Sir Alf Ramsey in 1966 to win a major international tournament.

The Dutchwoman was only appointed as England manager 10 months ago, but has now won successive Euros after leading the Netherlands to glory five years ago.

Under her leadership, England overtook Germany’s record of 21 goals at a Women’s Euros.

Their final winner was their 22nd goal of the tournament.

In a post-match press conference Wiegman said: “Now we won the Euros the expectation will go up again. First we will party. We are really proud.

“The development of this game has gone so fast, so many countries could win this tournament. We have all seen that. It’s not easy to win this tournament and next year that will be too.”

She added: “The top countries develop but so do those just under the top too. It is getting closer and closer especially in Euros.

“But now it is time to party then hopefully some time off.”