10 May 2024 , 21:44
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Former Leicester Women's first-team boss Willie Kirk has claimed he has been treated like a 'criminal' after being sacked for getting into a relationship with one of his players.
Kirk was appointed as the club's Director of Football in July 2022 before being installed as the manager four months later following a disappointing start to the WSL season. The 45-year-old helped guide the Foxes to safety and had spearheaded a historic FA Cup run to the semi-final this term.
However, back in March, Kirk was suspended and then sacked after he breached the team's code of conduct by getting into the relationship. Kirk, who confirmed he was still with the player, admitted his wrongdoing but said he felt let down by the club after he was sacked.
"From admitting it, I was treated and felt like a criminal," he told the Daily Mail. "I feel the club could have dealt with it better. I felt there was a lack of consistency with previous investigations.
"As difficult as it would have been, I felt I was due an audience with the staff and the players to explain myself and apologise face-to-face and to give my side of the story. It might not have kept me there, but we'll never know.
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"This wasn’t a manager exerting their power who said, 'jump into bed with me and I’ll play you in the starting XI.' I've just carried this hate, which is wrong, but it's come from this frustration of not being able to speak about it.
"I'm not a criminal, I've not committed a crime. I've jeopardised an environment and that is a pretty big thing. The club made mistakes in the past, I came in, turned around a points gap that had never been turned around before, retained WSL status.
Willie Kirk (Photo by Morgan Harlow/Getty Images)"Now I've made a mistake and they don’t want anything to do with me. I felt let down by the club in terms of that." Despite his dismissal, Kirk still hopes to have a future working in women's football.
"After 14 years of building my reputation, for it to be destroyed by one mistake, I feel would be harsh," Kirk added. "It is my mistake and I should never have put myself in that position and I regret making that decision.
"I'm hoping that somebody is willing to see the good in me. I’m speaking to a couple of clubs outside the UK next week so hopefully something comes of that."
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