NWSL calls off weekend matches after allegations of sexual misconduct against British-born coach Paul Riley
North Carolina Courage sacked British-born coach Paul Riley on Thursday after allegations of sexual misconduct towards female players were made public; NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird says she took "full responsibility for the role I have played"
Saturday 2 October 2021 00:01, UK
The National Women’s Soccer League has called off this weekend’s fixtures amid criticism at its handling of sexual coercion and harassment cases.
North Carolina Courage, who play in the United States' top women's league, sacked British-born coach Paul Riley on Thursday after allegations of sexual misconduct towards female players were made public.
The claims were made following an investigation by The Athletic, who spoke to more than a dozen players Riley had coached since 2010, including two - Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim - who went on the record to detail Riley's pattern of behaviour.
NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird said she took "full responsibility for the role I have played" after high-profile USA players including Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan claimed previous allegations against Riley had not been investigated properly and that the league was failing to protect its own players.
In a statement released on Friday, Baird said: "I am so sorry for the pain so many are feeling.
"Recognizing that trauma, we have decided not to take the field this weekend to give everyone some space to reflect. Business as usual isn't our concern right now.
"Our entire league has a great deal of healing to do, and our players deserve so much better.
"We have made this decision in collaboration with our players association and this pause will be the first step as we collectively work to transform the culture of this league, something that is long overdue."
Riley, who has coached women's teams since 2006, had earlier responded to an extensive list of questions from The Athletic in which he stated the majority of allegations made against him are "completely untrue" but did say he sometimes socialised with players.
On Thursday, Baird said she was "shocked and disgusted" to read of the new allegations against Riley and confirmed they had been reported to the US Center for SafeSport for further investigation.
The NWSL players' association has already called for an investigation into the allegations against Riley.
