Vincent Kompany has welcomed referee Rebecca Welch’s “milestone” appointment and insists his Burnley players will not modify their behaviour when she takes charge of their game with Fulham.
Welch will break new ground once again at Craven Cottage on Saturday, the 40-year-old from Tyne and Wear having in November become the first female to act as fourth official in a Premier League match.
“It’s certainly a benchmark and milestone,” Burnley boss Kompany said of Welch’s top-flight bow in the middle.
“I think she’ll take great pride in having done it herself. There’s a lot of women – in general, but in the game as well specifically – who will see this as a way to achieve at the highest level.
“I am always pro any kind of extension anyway because what it does is widen the pool of talent.
“We need access to all the available talent, the best referees in the best league in the world.”
Kompany insists the attitude of his players will be the same at Fulham as if a male referee was in the middle.
He said: “I wouldn’t allow it (be different) anyway, but in general it shouldn’t. Whether that’s a good thing or not, I don’t know.
“But in the end we want to win our games, the opposition want to win their games, and it’s about the players on the pitch.
“It shouldn’t be really about the official or the manager. It should be about the players and, in that sense, I can’t see why we wouldn’t have that normality.
“Of course the story is bigger and deserves to be bigger, but once the whistle blows every actor on the day will want the players to be highlighted.”
There is another landmark refereeing appointment on Boxing Day as Sam Allison will become the first black man to officiate a top-flight game in 15 years.
Allison will take charge of Sheffield United’s home game against Luton, following in the footsteps of Uriah Rennie who was the last black referee to take charge of a Premier League game in 2008.
Asked if it was a sign of changing times in football, Kompany said: “I think so. They are little milestones, but what you have to look at is not necessarily the person itself.
“Behind it there is a lot of people who don’t think it’s possible and that they can’t achieve it. By seeing those examples they will say ‘I could be the next one or do something positive’.
“To give access to opportunities with dreams is important at every level of society.
“What I would love to see is multi-coloured and multi-ethnic boardrooms that make decisions about what we’re going to discuss during the week.”
Carragher: Moyes leaving West Ham 'a great decision for everybody'
West Ham's call to part ways with David Moyes at the end of the campaign is "a great decision for everybody", so says Jamie Carragher.
The Hammers confirmed on Monday that Moyes, who took over for a second stint in charge in late 2019, would not be extending his contract with the club.
That news came amid reports that West Ham, who have also been in talks with Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim, had agreed terms with former Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui.
West Ham lost 5-0 to Chelsea on Sunday, and with just two Premier League matches left of 2023-24, their hopes of European qualification are all but over.
Moyes led West Ham to the Europa Conference League title last season, and the quarter-finals of this term's Europa League, but they came up against Xabi Alonso's impeccable Bayer Leverkusen side.
And with some sections of the club's fanbase having grown tired of Moyes' tactical approach, Carragher feels it is the right time for the 61-year-old to move on.
"I think it's a great decision for everybody," Carragher said during Sky Sports' Monday Night Football.
"I think what it does now is it gives the West Ham fans a chance in the next home game to really send him off with the salute that he thoroughly deserves.
'You've got to go back to 1980 under John Lyall, when they won the FA Cup. You think about how long ago that is, Moyes has been West Ham's best manager.
"To win a European trophy is pretty special and he deserved that for his managerial career, not just what he has done at West Ham. He's been a top Premier League manager.
"I think it's right all round. I can understand some of the frustration with the style of football, I get that, but results-wise he's done a brilliant job for West Ham."
West Ham face Luton Town in what will be Moyes' final home match in charge, before they round off their season against Manchester City on May 19.
Moyes to leave West Ham at end of season
West Ham have confirmed that David Moyes will leave the club at the end of the season when his contract expires.
It comes after reports on Monday that former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui agreed a deal to take over from the Scot.
Moyes, who has overseen 260 games so far during his two spells with the club, guided West Ham to their first European trophy since 1965 when they beat Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final in 2023.
In a club statement, Moyes said: “I have enjoyed four and a half brilliant years at West Ham, and the club is in a stronger position than when I returned back in 2019.
“When I joined West Ham for a second time, the club was one place above the relegation zone, and it has been a terrific journey to have achieved three consecutive seasons in Europe.
“I would like to thank all the players for their support, and all the success they have achieved over the last four and a half years.
“I have really enjoyed working with everyone at West Ham, and I would like to thank the Board for giving me the opportunity to manage this great club.
“I wish my eventual successor, the directors, the players, the staff, the fans, and everybody at West Ham, all the very best for the future.”
This season, Moyes has come under increasing pressure after a poor run of form, including a 5-0 thrashing by Chelsea on Sunday.
However, after saving West Ham from relegation in both stints at the club, first between November 2017 and May 2018 and then from November 2019, Moyes has overseen three successive European campaigns.
With two games left of the campaign, Moyes boasts a record of 111 from his 260 matches, with a win percentage of 44.7 per cent in all competitions over both spells in charge.
Ten Hag hits back at Mourinho dig over Man United board backing
Erik ten Hag has hit back at Jose Mourinho after the former Manchester United manager said he did not get the same level of support as the Dutchman.
Mourinho, who spent two and a half years in charge of United, suggested in an interview with the Telegraph that he did not have the same backing in the transfer market, or the same level of "trust" instilled in him as Ten Hag.
The former Ajax manager recently spoke to Sky Sports about failing to sign stars like Harry Kane, with the club instead choosing to invest in younger players with potential, like Rasmus Hojlund.
Ten Hag is facing an uncertain future at the club with just one year left on his contract following a disappointing second campaign. New co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has given no guarantees that he will keep his post next season.
Now, Ten Hag has responded to Mourinho’s claims, stating that the Portuguese coach was the only manager after Alex Ferguson to be given backing by the board.
Speaking to ESPN Brazil, Ten Hag said: "Apart from Mourinho, the manager didn't get the players they wanted, and that is what you need.
"I am confident we will achieve our goals, but it is a tough competition. It is not a two-horse race anymore.
"There are seven, eight [teams in the Premier League] who all go for the title, who all have very good squads. So if you want to go to the title, you have to construct that squad."
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