Emma Hayes: 'I let myself down' over 'inappropriate' player relations suspension.

Chelsea coach Emma Hayes said she “let herself down” when she described player relationships in women's football as “inappropriate”.

When asked about player-manager relationships during Thursday's pre-match press conference, Hayes also addressed the challenges of player relationships. She believes the comments were blown out of proportion after that.

Relationships between teammates are common in the women's game. Chelsea signed Pernille Harder from Wolfsburg in 2020 in a move that saw her join long-term partner Magdalena Eriksson, while Chelsea defender Jess Carter is in a relationship with goalkeeper Anne-Katrin Berger.

Hayes said she spoke to Carter and the Chelsea team after her comments.

“Of course I spoke to her. And 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 create any more clickbait headlines. I think that's the case sometimes when we have honest conversations about things. Of course I'm disappointed by that.”

“Of course I had a conversation with Jess today, as did other players within the team.”

She continued: “They know exactly who I am and they know exactly what my intentions are. But I'm supposed to be the most well-trained, unobtrusive trainer, and I let myself down yesterday. I didn't think it was right for me to use an inappropriate term for gamers.

“When we have honest conversations about these things, I don't back down from those things, but I have no criticism of any player in the dressing room for anything. Their professionalism, for what they have brought to the club regardless of their situation, regardless of who they are in a relationship with.

“I think, unfortunately, this has become a topic that has been blown out of proportion in an unnecessary way. But I can't control social media and I don't want to. But I do want to say that I have an unbelievable dressing room. You saw tonight in everyone's performance, they were focused Hard on the important things.

He added: “As I always tell our players, even if we have differences in life, we should not reveal them publicly. We should make them talk to each other. Because I think it is an important thing that you have to do in the workplace and I think everyone understands that. I think you I saw from the team's performance tonight that everyone is completely invested in what we are doing. Tremendous performance from everyone including Jess.

Hayes and all managers in the Women's Super League were asked about player-manager relationships fFollow last week's news that Willie Kirk was under investigation by Leicester City Because of an alleged relationship with one of his players.

This came just a few weeks after the previous one appeared Sheffield United Manager Jonathan Morgan had a “secret” three-year relationship with a teenage player while he was Leicester manager.

“The women’s game is going from an amateur game to a professional game,” Hayes said. “In almost all areas of our game, we have to make sure there are minimum standards. We have to have safeguards in place, to make sure they are within reach of every club to protect players.

“The challenges of transitioning from an amateur to a professional game meant that women's sport was largely social.”

After providing this context, Hayes said: “Player-coach relations are inappropriate; Relationships between players are inappropriate,” before returning to the importance of looking at “where the game comes from” and the need for “the highest standards,” which she believes goes beyond the issue of player-coach relations, now that the game is in the professional era.

Go deeper

How Morgan's 'immoral' relationship with his teenage player led to his sacking

(Alex Bantling/Getty Images)