Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has ignited a discussion about player-player relationships in the women’s game amid the sport’s wider reckoning with player-coach relationships.
“Player-coach relationships are inappropriate. Player-to-player relationships are inappropriate” the future USWNT head coach said at a press conference on Thursday.
“It’s about the challenges it poses. One player’s in the team, one’s not in the team. One might be in the last year of their contract, one might not be. One might be competing in a position with someone else. You don’t need me to spell that out. It presents challenges.
“Longer-term, in an ideal world, you wouldn’t have to deal with that. It is quite challenging for coaching teams to have to deal with it.”
Following Chelsea’s 3-1 victory over Arsenal on Friday, Hayes expressed regret over her comments. “I let myself down,” she said. “I didn’t think it was right for me to use the term ‘inappropriate’ for the players.
“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’re in a relationship with.”
Hayes was hit with social media criticism…
