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Leicester City have sacked supervisor Willie Kirk following an investigation into an allegation he had a relationship with a player.
Kirk, 45, was suspended by the Women’s Super League membership earlier this month to “assist with an internal process”.
The Scottish boss has not been on the touchline for the previous three video games.
“Willie was determined to have breached the team’s code of conduct to a degree that makes his position untenable,” Leicester stated in an announcement.
A grievance was lodged with the membership about an alleged present relationship between Kirk and a player.
BBC Sport has approached Kirk for remark concerning the allegation.
The timeline resulting in Kirk’s sacking
Following Kirk’s suspension, assistant supervisor Jennifer Foster and first-team coach Stephen Kirby took cost for the Women’s FA Cup quarter-final at Liverpool on 9 March.
The Foxes gained 2-0 to achieve the final 4 of the competitors for the primary time.
Leicester have misplaced the 2 matches they’ve performed since, being overwhelmed by Tottenham and Brighton within the WSL.
Foster and Kirby will proceed to guide the group whereas Leicester seek for a brand new everlasting supervisor.
Former Everton supervisor Kirk joined the WSL membership in the summertime of 2022, initially as a director of soccer earlier than succeeding Lydia Bedford as boss that November.
Last season he guided Leicester from the underside of the WSL to security they usually had been seventh within the desk this season when he was suspended.
Leicester stated the code of conduct which they discovered Kirk to have breached was “established and implemented” earlier than the 2023-24 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,” Leicester added.
Their resolution, introduced on Thursday, comes amid scrutiny and up to date condemnation of player-coach relationships in ladies’s soccer.
In February, former Leicester supervisor Jonathan Morgan was sacked by Sheffield United after “new information came to light about his conduct” earlier than he joined the membership.
Morgan’s former administration company ended their relationship with him and stated in an announcement it had “learnt new information regarding Jonathan Morgan and a relationship with a player”.
Why player-coach relationships in ladies’s soccer stay a difficulty
Player-coach relationships will not be unlawful – so long as no minors are concerned – albeit they’ll breach codes of conduct.
Codes of conduct amongst gamers and managers are a situation of golf equipment getting a WSL licence, and each membership will need to have a safeguarding officer in place.
Personal relationships between gamers and coaches in ladies’s soccer have been criticised for doubtlessly creating an influence imbalance in a squad.
England supervisor Sarina Wiegman has described them as “very inappropriate” and “not healthy”.
Several WSL managers – together with Aston Villa’s Carla Ward and Tottenham boss Robert Vilahamn – stated player-coach relationships crossed a line.
Speaking earlier than Kirk’s sacking, Ward stated she thought a relationship between a supervisor and a player ought to “100%” result in the group boss being dismissed.
Football Association director of ladies’s soccer Baroness Campbell stated in 2018 that she regarded player-coach private relationships as “a concern”.
Relationship issues contributed to Mark Sampson’s sacking as England supervisor in 2017. He misplaced his job after what the FA described as “inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour” with gamers in a earlier function at Bristol Academy.
Same-sex player relationships are widespread within the sport, the place the WSL solely turned skilled in 2011.
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