Leicester Women manager Willie Kirk will not take charge of his side’s game on Saturday due to an internal investigation that is said to be centred around an alleged relationship with a player.
Leicester beat Liverpool 2-0 in an FA Cup quarter-final tie on Saturday, but Kirk, who joined the club in 2022 as director of football before coming manager, was not in the dugout.
According to The Guardian, there are allegations that Kirk has been involved in a relationship with one of his players and the matter is now being investigated with the 45-year-old suspended.
A Leicester spokesperson said: ‘Willie Kirk is assisting the club with an internal process, the outcomes of which will be determined in due course.
‘Assistant manager Jennifer Foster and first-team coach Stephen Kirby will take charge of the team for Saturday’s FA Women’s Cup tie at Liverpool.’
Having joined Leicester in July two years ago, he was appointed manager in November that year, taking over from Lydia Bedford.
He took the club to 10th in the Women’s Super League that season despite not picking up a point in his first six games, and his side are currently seventh in the 2023-24 league table.
Kirk, who had a brief non-league playing career, began his coaching career at Livingston in his native Scotland as under 14 coach in 2006.
Having also coached the side’s under 17 side, he joined Hibernian in 2009 as under 17 coach before taking charge of the women’s team in 2010.
He remained manager for four years, winning the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup, and, via a brief spell at Preston, moved to Bristol City in 2015, in which he oversaw a relegation and promotion.
In 2018 he joined the coaching staff at Manchester United’s newly-formed team, before taking the reigns at Everton in December of that year. He left his role in October 2021 before joining Leicester.
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