Chelsea have been accused of disrespecting their women's team by announcing their decision to sack Graham Potter during their win over Aston Villa Women.
The Blues travelled to the Bescot Stadium for a Women's Super League clash on Sunday evening. But during the second-half of the game, the Blues announced that men's boss Potter would be leaving his role with immediate effect.
Potter only took charge in September, replacing Thomas Tuchel after the German was himself sacked by the Blues. But his reign at Stamford Bridge is at an end, with Chelsea announcing his exit at 8.02pm on Sunday evening.
At that exact time, Chelsea Women were into the second-half of their clash with Aston Villa Women. Emma Hayes' side claimed a comfortable 3-0 win to avoid a slip-up in the title race, but some of their fans were left fuming by the timing of Potter's sacking.
One supporter tweeted: "The absolute disrespect to announce this whilst the Chelsea women are playing a huge league game. Clueless."
Goals from Jelena Cankovic, Guro Reiten and Sam Kerr were enough to secure all three points. It was a win that moved Hayes' side to within one point of WSL leaders Manchester United, with the Blues also having a game in hand.
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Chelsea announced Potter's departure with a statement on their club website. They thanked the Englishman for his efforts while in charge, before revealing Bruno Saltor will take interim charge.
"Chelsea FC has announced that Graham Potter has departed the club. Graham has agreed to collaborate with the Club to facilitate a smooth transition. In his time with the club, Graham has taken us to the quarter final of the Champions League, where we will face Real Madrid," the statement read.
"Chelsea would like to thank Graham for all his efforts and contribution and wish him well for the future. Bruno Saltor will take charge of the team as Interim Head Coach."
Co-owners Todd Boehly and Behad Eghbali also released a joint statement explaining their decision. They also called on Chelsea supporters to pull behind their team for the rest of the season.
"On behalf of everyone at the club, we want to thank Graham sincerely for his contribution to Chelsea. We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person," the duo said.
"He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed in this outcome. Along with our incredible fans, we will all be getting behind Bruno and the team as we focus on the rest of the season.
"We have 10 Premier League games remaining and a Champions League quarter final ahead. We will put every effort and commitment into every one of those games so that we can end the season on a high."
