Leicester Football Club Fires Kirk Following Allegations of Inappropriate Relationship
Leicester City Football Club has made the decision to terminate the contract of manager Willie Kirk after allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a player. The Women’s Super League club suspended Kirk earlier this month to conduct an internal investigation into the matter. The 45-year-old Scottish boss has not been present on the touchline for the past three games as a result.
Leicester City released a statement stating that Kirk had breached the team’s code of conduct to an extent that his position became untenable. The club received a complaint about an alleged current relationship between Kirk and a player, leading to the investigation.
In the interim, assistant manager Jennifer Foster and first-team coach Stephen Kirby have taken charge of the team. They led the Foxes to a 2-0 victory against Liverpool in the Women’s FA Cup quarter-final, securing a spot in the last four for the first time. However, Leicester suffered defeats in their subsequent matches against Tottenham and Brighton in the WSL.
Leicester City will now begin the search for a new permanent manager while Foster and Kirby continue to lead the team. Kirk, who joined the club as a director of football in the summer of 2022 before becoming manager, guided Leicester to safety last season when they were at the bottom of the WSL. This season, they were in seventh place before Kirk’s suspension.
The club stated that the code of conduct, which Kirk violated, was established and implemented prior to the 2023-24 season. Leicester City emphasized their commitment to professionalizing the women’s game since taking over LCFC Women in 2020 and promoting a performance-led culture among players, coaches, and technical staff.
Leicester’s decision to terminate Kirk’s contract comes at a time when player-coach relationships in women’s football are under scrutiny. In February, Sheffield United sacked former Leicester manager Jonathan Morgan after new information came to light about his conduct prior to joining the club. Morgan’s management agency also ended their relationship with him, citing new information regarding a relationship with a player.
Player-coach relationships are not illegal as long as there are no minors involved, but they can breach codes of conduct. These codes are a requirement for clubs to obtain a WSL license, and each club must have a safeguarding officer in place. Critics argue that personal relationships between players and coaches in women’s football can create a power imbalance within the team.
England manager Sarina Wiegman has described such relationships as “very inappropriate” and “not healthy.” Before Kirk’s sacking, Megan Ward, a former player for Everton, expressed her belief that a relationship between a manager and a player should lead to the dismissal of the team boss. Baroness Campbell, the Football Association’s director of women’s football, voiced concerns about player-coach personal relationships in 2018.
It is worth noting that same-sex player relationships are common in the game, especially since the Women’s Super League turned professional in 2011. However, it is crucial to ensure that all relationships adhere to ethical guidelines and do not compromise the integrity of the sport.
The termination of Kirk’s contract highlights the increasing scrutiny surrounding player-coach relationships in women’s football. Clubs and governing bodies must continue to address these issues and ensure that appropriate measures are in place to maintain professionalism and safeguard the well-being of all individuals involved in the sport.