Chelsea boss Emma Hayes has said she was disappointed to describe relationships between players within the team as “inappropriate” and added she will no longer provide “clickbait headlines”.
Hayes, who will take over as coach of the U.S. women's national team in June, expressed her disapproval of romantic relationships between players on the same team on Thursday, adding that it would be “ideal” if she didn't have to deal with them.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (US)
Hayes' comments apparently did not sit well with Chelsea defender Jess Carter, who is in a relationship with teammate Ann-Katrin Berger. The England international liked a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) that criticized Hayes for his views.
When asked about Carter's reaction following Chelsea's 3-1 win over Arsenal in the Women's Super League on Friday, Hayes took the opportunity to apologize for his comments but did not back down.
“I want to make it clear to everyone in the room, I don't want to create any more clickbait headlines for you. I think sometimes that becomes the case when we have honest conversations about things,” Hayes said at a news conference.
“Of course I'm disappointed about that, of course Jess and I have had a conversation today as I have with other players on the team.
“They know exactly who I am and what my intentions were. But I have to wait for that: I'm supposed to be the most well-trained, clickbait-free trainer and yesterday I let myself down. I didn't think about it.” It was correct of me to use the term “inappropriate” for the players.
“I don't take back those things, but I have no criticism of any player in my locker room for anything: their professionalism, regardless of their status, regardless of who they are in a relationship. I've been incredibly supportive of everyone. Of the players, I've been a defender of equality and equity.”
Hayes pointed to the dominance his team showed in the victory over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge as a sign of the unity that continues to exist in the Chelsea squad.
“I mean I have an incredible locker room and you saw it tonight from everyone who was extremely focused on the things that matter. And, as I keep telling our players all the time, even if we have disagreements in life, we shouldn't expose them publicly,” Hayes said.
“We need to have conversations with each other, but it's an important thing that you need to do in the workplace and have everyone understand and I think you saw in tonight's performance that everyone is absolutely invested in what we're doing.
“Tremendous performance by everyone, including Jess.”
