Chelsea boss Emma Hayes has admitted she was wrong to call relationships between players ‘inappropriate’ after facing backlash on social media.
On Thursday, Hayes said relationships between players within the same locker room can lead to challenges for managers.
She made the comments while responding to questions about the player-coach relationship in women’s football after Leicester boss Willie Kirk was suspended last week over an alleged relationship with a player.
“I think relationships between players and coaches are inappropriate, and relationships between players are inappropriate,” Hayes said.
‘But we have to look at it in the context of where the game has come from and say that we are now in a professional era where the expectations for players and coaches are such that all our focus and attention should be on having the highest standards.
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes has clarified her comments following criticism on social media
Chelsea boss with defender Jess Carter after Friday’s win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea Women’s star Carter (right), pictured here with her partner and teammate Ann-Katrin Berger, has liked a series of social media posts criticizing Hayes
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‘And that’s why I’ve always been in favor of ensuring that clubs have minimum standards, whether it’s code of conduct, player protection or player welfare.’
Chelsea defender Jess Carter, who is in a relationship with her teammate Ann-Katrin Berger, liked a series of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, including one that described her comments as ‘beyond crazy’.
Hayes, whose side won 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, said she had ‘let herself down’ with her comments but had cleared the air with Carter before the match.
“Of course I talked to her (Carter),” Hayes said.
“That’s all I’m going to say about it. I want to be clear to everyone in the room. I don’t want to make any more clickbait headlines for you.
“I think sometimes that’s the case when we have honest conversations about things. Of course I’m disappointed about that. Of course Jess and I had a chat today, as did I with other players on the team.
‘They know exactly who I am and they know exactly what my intentions were. But I have to expect that I should be the most educated, non-clickbait headline coach and I let myself down yesterday.
‘I didn’t think it was right to use the term inappropriately for the players. Nevertheless, when we have honest conversations about these things, I don’t take those things back, but I don’t have any criticism of any player in my dressing room.
“They are professionalism, for what they have given to the club, regardless of their status, regardless of who they have a relationship with. I have been incredibly supportive of all the players. I have been a champion for quality and equality. I think this has unfortunately become a topic that is unnecessarily overblown.
Carter appeared to like several posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) calling her manager “beyond crazy” for her claims
Player-player relationships are relatively common in women’s football, with several high-profile couples currently playing in the WSL
‘But I don’t have control over social media and I don’t want to. But I will say that I have an incredible dressing room. You could see from everyone’s performance tonight that they were extremely focused on things that matter.
“As I constantly say to our players, even if we have disagreements in life, we should not play them out publicly. We have to get them talking to each other. Because I think it’s an important thing to do in a workplace, and I think everyone understands that.
“I think you saw from the team’s performance tonight that everyone is absolutely invested in what we’re doing. Great performance from everyone, including Jess.”
Hayes had been asked about player-coach relations in women’s football after Leicester boss Willie Kirk was suspended last week over an alleged relationship with a player.