sport news British Olympic gold medallist Kate Richardson-Walsh, who married her GB hockey ... trends now
British Olympic gold medallist Kate Richardson-Walsh has hit back at Emma Hayes after the Chelsea boss said player-to-player and player-to-coach relationships were 'inappropriate'
Hayes was one of several managers to speak out against player-to-coach relationships this weekend.
She expanding to talk about player-to-player relationships when asked at her press conference, stating that they came with 'some challenges'.
Hayes' description of the relationships as 'inappropriate' has provovoked a backlash.
Olympic hockey gold medallist Richardson-Walsh, who married her team-mate Helen, criticised the Chelsea manager's labelling of play-to-player relationships.
Kate Richardson-Walsh, pictured with Helen in 2017, has hit back after Emma Hayes' comments on player-to-player relationships
The Chelsea women's team manager stated that 'player-to-player relationships were inappropriate' despite having several in her own team
Richardson-Walsh insisted player to player relationships were definitely not 'inappopriate'
'Hi. Definitely not “inappropriate” and certainly not being “phased out”,' Richardson-Walsh wrote.
'And, for the record, relationships between staff and players are inappropriate. They are an abuse of power. Can’t wait to watch @ArsenalWFC v @ChelseaFCW tonight #BarclaysWSL'.
Richardson-Walsh's post included a photo alongside Helen, with the couple celebrating their Olympic gold medals.
Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh became the first married gay couple to compete together at the Olympic Games in 2016.
They became the first same-sex married couple to win gold at the Olympics after Britain beat defending champions Holland in a penalty shoot-out in Rio.
The couple tied the knot in 2013 after starting a relationship just before the Beijing Games in 2008.
The pair insisted their team mates saw them as just 'Helen and Kate the hockey players' rather than a couple.
'It's just a non-issue - we're two separate players on the team and that's how staff and players treat us,' said Kate, who captained the side, back in 2016.
Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh began a relationship just before the Beijing 2008 Olympics and continued to star for Britain's women's hockey team
They became the first same-sex married couple to win gold at the Olympics after success at Rio 2016
Helen added: 'We do talk about hockey at home, we’re both massively passionate about making the squad as good as it can be but we’re trying to get better at not doing that.
‘We’ve both always wanted to win an Olympic gold medal and that is an individual dream so we wouldn’t allow our relationship to affect that.’
Helen had previously worked with WSL side Tottenham after her retirement from hockey, serving as first team performance and culture coach between October 2020 to June 2023.
Chelsea Women's star Jess Carter has liked a string of social media posts that called Hayes 'beyond bonkers' following her comments.
Carter, 26, is going out with her team-mate Ann-Katrin Berger, 33, with the pair having initially met while playing for Birmingham City in 2016 before reuniting at Chelsea three years later where they established their relationship.
Player-player relationships are relatively common in women's football, with high-profile couples including Arsenal's Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead, as well as Chelsea star Sam Kerr dating West Ham star Kristie Mewis. Mail Sport understands there is at least one other player-to-player relationship within the Chelsea squad.
Hayes' comments came on the eve of their crunch Women's Super League match against Arsenal on Friday, which could see the Gunners leapfrog the Blues and go top of the table with a victory. Carter is currently Hayes' only fit centre back.
Journalist Beth Fisher wrote: 'Beyond bonkers to bring player-to-player relationships into this conversation in my opinion.'
Carter appeared to like several posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) which called
