Leicester women's head coach suspended due to relationship with player

The head coach of the Leicester women's team, Willie Kirk, will not be leading his team in today's match due to an internal investigation initiated regarding suspicions regarding his relationships with the players, as reported by The Guardian.

According to the source, Kirk was involved in an affair with one of the players on his team. A club representative stated:

"Willie Kirk is assisting the club with internal processes, the results of which will be determined in due course."

Today, the Leicester women's team will face Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, and the team will be led by assistant coach Jennifer Foster and the U-18 team coach Steven Kirby.

Willie Kirk joined the club in 2022 as the football director and later became the head coach, succeeding Lydia Bedford.

The process initiated at Leicester may raise questions regarding Kirk's previous positions, as he began his coaching career at Livingston, Scotland, as a coach for players up to the age of 14, and then coached the under-17 team. In 2009, he joined Hibernian as an under-17 coach, and in 2010, he took over the women's team.

In 2018, he joined the coaching staff of Manchester United, and in December of the same year, he took over Everton. He left his position in October 2021 before joining Leicester.