The former Leicester boss is speaking out after being sacked over his relationship with a player

Former Leicester City Women’s First Team boss Willie Kirk has said he has been treated like a “criminal” since he was sacked for having a relationship with one of his players.

Kirk was appointed manager in November 2022 and helped guide the club to safety after a poor start to the WSL season.

In March this year, however, the 45-year-old was suspended and later sacked after it emerged he had breached the team’s code of conduct by starting the relationship.

Kirk, who revealed he is still in a relationship with the player, admitted his wrongdoing but felt he had been let down by the club following his sacking.

“From what I admitted, I was treated and felt like a criminal,” he told the Daily Mail. “I feel the club could have coped better. I felt there was a lack of consistency with previous investigations.

“As difficult as it was, I felt I deserved an audience with the staff and the players to explain myself and apologize face to face and give me my side of the story. Maybe it didn’t keep me there, but we’ll never know.

“This was not a manager who exerted his power and said, ‘You jump into bed with me and I’ll play you in the starting XI.’ I just carried this hatred, which is wrong, but it comes from this frustration of not being able to talk about it.

“I am not a criminal, I have not committed a crime. We put an environment at risk, and that’s a pretty big deal. The club has made mistakes in the past, I came in, turned around a points difference that had never been changed before, kept their WSL status.

“Now I made a mistake and they want nothing to do with me. I felt let down by the club in that regard.

Kirk is not the only head coach to have been sacked this season over a player-manager relationship, with Jonathan Morgan sacked as Sheffield United Women’s coach in February over a similar incident at a previous club.

The former Leicester boss insisted she still hopes to stay in women’s football despite the incident.

“After 14 years of building my reputation, for it to be destroyed by one mistake, I feel it would be harsh,” he added. “It’s my mistake and I should never have put myself in that position and I regret making that decision.

“I hope someone is willing to see the good in me. I’m talking to a few clubs outside the UK next week so hopefully something will come of it.

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