Things got a little heated between Chelsea coach Emma Hayes and her Arsenal counterpart Jonas Eidevall in Sunday’s Women’s League Cup final.
The pair were at odds over an issue that managers typically don’t get too concerned over: the number of balls available to use during the game.
In short, Eidevall thought only one ball would be used, and was enraged when Chelsea took a quick throw-in with a new ball from the dugout. The manager got near Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert on the touchline in a moment that clearly did not sit well with Hayes.
After the match, which Arsenal won 1-0 on an extra-time winner from Stina Blackstenius, Hayes gave Eidevall a minor but unmistakable bump on the pitch when the pair shook hands.
Afterward, the incoming U.S. women’s national team head coach vented her frustration at what she called Eidevall’s “male aggression.”
“I’m not down for male aggression on the touchline, I’m really not,” Hayes said. “And fronting up to players, for me, that’s unacceptable. I’m disappointed and I told Jonas that. I don’t think it’s OK to behave like that.
“He got a yellow card, and he should have probably been sent off. I’m all for competing to win. I’ve never been booked in 12 years in my time here. I totally accept he’s a winner and wants to win but his behavior on the touchline wasn’t acceptable.”
Emma Hayes and Jonas Eidevall had some push and shove after full time in the Women’s League Cup final 🥊
This is the Arsenal boss' explanation of what happened.#ContiCup pic.twitter.com/m1vcOZKtAp
— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) March 31, 2024
Eidevall hit back by saying that the “male aggression” remark used by Hayes was “irresponsible.”
“I think that’s a very irresponsible way of labelling the behavior that I have, I don’t feel comfortable with that label, I don’t think it’s the truth to do that, so I think it’s very irresponsible to do that,” he said.
“The ball gets kicked away and Chelsea want to take a new ball to throw a quick throw-in and I said, ‘You guys wanted to play with one ball, now we need to get that ball.’
“Of course, Erin doesn’t get happy over that, I didn’t say anything more in that situation. If we decide to play with one ball we play with one ball. I like to play with multi-ball, the game is quick, but they didn’t want to do it and you can’t do it when it suits you.”
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