Leicester City made the decision to fire their manager, Willie Kirk, after looking into allegations suggesting he was involved in a relationship with one of the players.
Kirk, who is 45 years old, had been temporarily suspended by the Women’s Super League club a few weeks ago as part of an internal investigation. During this time, he hasn’t been present on the sidelines for the team’s last three matches.
Kirk started coaching young players at Livingston in Scotland, then moved to Hibernian in 2009. He later managed Hibs’ women’s team before coaching at Preston, Bristol City, Manchester United (as an assistant), and Everton.
Recent scrutiny has been on relationships between managers and players in women’s football, especially after Kirk’s suspension. This is the second case this year, with Sheffield United firing Jonathan Morgan for a similar reason. Kirk was sacked by Leicester after an investigation into his alleged relationship with a player.
The club stated that Kirk breached their code of conduct, leading to his dismissal. The Guardian reported his suspension on March 8th, during an investigation into the alleged relationship. He missed a game where the team won, qualifying for the FA Cup semi-finals.Leicester hired Kirk as director of football in July 2022, and he later became manager. Despite a rough start, he helped the team avoid relegation in his first season.
