Hayes admits women used to dealing with misogyny in football

Emma Hayes has hit back at comments made by former QPR midfielder Joey Barton and admits women in football are used to dealing with misogyny and bullying.

Barton, 41, said women "should not be talking with any kind of authority" in the men's game, causing a storm across social media.

But the Chelsea boss hit back, saying: "Male privilege has been something that’s always been at the centre of football in this country.

"You only have to see scores of women across the internet or in the business — whether you're a presenter, you're a coach or a player — to realise we’re routinely used to dealing with systemic misogyny, bullying and behaviour that has been pretty normal for a large part of the football public."

Hayes is set to leave Women's Super League champions Chelsea at the end of the season and take up the manager's role for the United States, but she will remain an icon in England and across the globe.

The 47-year-old has led the Blues to six WSL titles and is on course to bring a fifth consecutive championship to West London.

She added: "I think when it comes to the sport of football in this case, we have to remember that society isn't always as well represented across the media or across the game in coaching or playing etc.

"If you haven't experienced systemic misogyny, like lots of us have, you can't for one moment understand how detrimental some of these conversations are, knowing that anything anyone says just enables an absolute pile-on, particularly on social media."