Women's soccer head coach Sarina Wiegman calls for "standardization" of player-coach relationships in women's matches

Earlier this month, Leicester City launched an investigation into head coach Willie Kirk following allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a player. Throughout the process, he has been suspended and has not appeared on the sidelines for the Foxes' past three matches.

This is a problem that exists throughout women's soccer. Former Lionesses head coach Mark Sampson was dismissed in 2017 for having a relationship with a player from Bristol Academy, while former Leicester City player Jonathan Morgan was also dismissed by Sheffield United last month after the club learned of his relationship with a player while coaching the Foxes.

The top-tier league in the United States, the NWSL, has cracked down on relationships between players and coaches, specifically prohibiting such relationships due to "power imbalances." However, the Women's Super League in England does not have such a rule. Wiegman is the latest coach to call for a change in this regulation.

Wiegman told reporters on Tuesday, "I think the relationship between players and coaches is very inappropriate. I don't think we should accept that. It's not healthy. Basically, that's it. I think in our environment, this is a professional environment, and everything is about performance and it should always be safe. Things can happen, but it's inappropriate, and we should all be very clear about that."

When asked if there should be a ban on these relationships, Wiegman responded, "It's common sense. We all know that it's not appropriate if we're in that environment. I think if we all take responsibility, then it wouldn't happen. But if it happens too often, then you need regulation. I'll leave that to others. I just hope that in every environment I work in, in the way we work and always talk about a safe environment, that's one of the things that should be truly safe, and everyone is really aware of the responsibility we have."