The issue made headlines last Friday when Leicester City Women manager Willie Kirk was suspended pending an investigation into an allegation he had been involved in a relationship with a player. Kirk has not commented on the allegation, while Leicester have said Kirk is assisting the club with an “internal process”.
Assistant manager Jennifer Foster took charge of their Women’s FA Cup final victory at Liverpool last Saturday at less than 24 hours’ notice, and conducted a pre-match press conference on Thursday as she remains in charge while Kirk is suspended.
A number of Women’s Super League managers have condemned coach-player relationships in football this week. Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said relationships between team-mates was inappropriate and her comments sparked a reaction from one of her own players. Defender Jess Carter, who is in a relationship with Germany and Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, liked a post on X that described Hayes’ comments as “beyond bonkers”.
Hayes sought to clarify her remarks on Friday night, saying: “I’ve spoken with her [Carter]. This is all I’m going to say on it. I don’t want to create any more clickbait headlines. I think sometimes that becomes the case, when we have honest conversations about things, so of course I’m disappointed about that. Jess and I have had a conversation today, as I have with other players within the team.
“They know exactly who I am and they know exactly what my intentions were. But I have to expect that I’m supposed to be the most well-trained, non-clickbait headline coach, and I let myself down yesterday. I didn’t think it was right for me to use the term ‘inappropriate’ for the players.
“Nonetheless, when we have honest conversations about these things, I don’t take those things back, but I have zero criticism of any player in my dressing room for anything. Their professionalism, for what they’ve given to the club regardless of their status, regardless of who they are in a relationship with, I’ve been unbelievably supportive of all of the players. I’ve been a champion for equality and for equity.
“As I keep saying to my players, even if we have disagreements in life, we mustn’t play them out publicly, we must have those conversations with each other, because it’s an important thing you should do in a workplace and everyone understands that. And I think you saw from the performance tonight that everybody is absolutely invested in what we are doing. Tremendous performance from everyone including Jess.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
