Emma Hayes has spoken out on the ‘patronising’ calls for her to take over a men’s team after a golden start to life in the US.
The former Chelsea manager, who won 15 trophies during her 12-year tenure in London, took up a role managing the USA’s women’s national football team at the end of last season, winning Olympic gold just three months into the new job.
In 2021, she had been linked to the AFC Wimbledon men’s job but she quickly shut down those rumours at the time.
Speaking to The Times, Hayes admitted that ‘working in the US as a woman is a completely different world’ in comparison to the UK.
She admits the nations are poles apart. The main difference? “Equality” she says.
“We win the Olympics and in America they want to talk about the greatness of winning an Olympics.
“I come to England and have a week with the press and they want to ask me when I’m going into the men’s game! The morbid fascination with asking me that question… Going forward, I’m just going to refuse to answer it.
“Because I realise it’s just clickbait. And it’s sad that, as an Olympic gold medal-winning coach, the biggest priority for every media outlet in the British interviews I did afterwards was the men’s game. It’s small-minded in so many ways.”
The calls for Hayes to transition into the men’s game have often overshadowed her tenure as one of the nation’s most exceptional football managers.
The notion that her achievements in the women’s game are secondary to men’s is a problem quite unique to the British sports hierarchy.
“I don’t know how playing in front of 43,000 to win the Olympics at Parc des Princes can be a bronze. Know what I mean? Like, not to take anything away from Shrewsbury Town or Grimsby — which is the suggested level I should go into if I became a men’s coach.”
Hayes also spoke of her experience at Arsenal as an assistant coach under Vic Akers, where she admitted to having learnt a lot from Arsène Wenger.
“What I picked up from Arsène was some unbelievable principles of play around attacking football. I think from Fergie I appreciate the art of winning.” In fact, the first text she received after winning Olympic gold for the US was from none other than Sir Alex Ferguson.
Chelsea won seven WSL titles, five FA Cups and two League Cups during Hayes’ time at the London club.
She added six Manager of the Season titles to her personal collection of accolades, along with the Women’s Johan Cruyff Trophy at this year’s Ballon d’Or.
Hayes’ US team next face England at Wembley on Saturday.
