Willie Kirk has been relieved of his duties by Leicester City after the Women’s Super League club conducted an internal investigation into an alleged relationship with a player
Leicester City have sacked their women’s team manager Willie Kirk after investigating an alleged relationship with a player.
Kirk was suspended earlier in March, with the club issuing a statement which said he was “assisting the club with an internal process”. His assistant Jennifer Foster and first-team coach Stephen Kirby have overseen the past three matches and will now continue temporary charge until a replacement is found.
Leicester said in a statement: “Following an extensive internal disciplinary process and respecting the club’s obligations to individual privacy, Willie was determined to have breached the team’s code of conduct to a degree that makes his position untenable.
“Established and implemented ahead of the start of the current season, the code forms part of the club’s ongoing commitment to professionalising the women’s game since the takeover of LCFC Women in 2020, promoting a performance-led culture among players, coaches and technical staff.”
The 45-year-old joined Leicester in July 2022 as their director of football before stepping in to become manager in November after Lydia Bedford left. The team are ninth in the Women’s Super League and have lost their last two matches, against Tottenham and Brighton. However, they are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup where they will face Spurs on April 14.
Kirk’s sacking follows the dismissal of Jonathan Morgan by Sheffield United in February for an alleged relationship with a player during his time at Leicester. England manager Sarina Wiegman believes that relationships between a manager and a player should not be allowed. “I think player-coach relationships are very inappropriate,” she said this week. “I think we should not accept that. That’s not healthy. That is basically what it is. I think in our environment, it’s a professional environment, it is all about performing and it should always be safe.
“Things can happen but it’s inappropriate and we all should be very aware of that. It is common sense. We all know that if we are in this environment, that is really inappropriate. I think if we all take our responsibility, then things wouldn’t happen.”
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has described manager-player relationship as “inappropriate” and Aston Villa boss Carla Ward gave a similar take when asked about the subject earlier this month. “Our job and duty is to protect players,” she said.
“So to cross that line is unacceptable and it can’t happen. It makes me very angry because we’re here to set an environment, a comfortable place where people come to work, where they feel safe. I just don’t understand anyone who crosses that line.”
Bristol City head coach Lauren Smith said: “It is still a position of power between coaches and players and there is no grey area. It’s unacceptable and it shouldn’t happen. I believe it’s a sackable offence. That goes not just for the head coach position – it’s a position of power within the staffing team.”
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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.
