Chelsea manager Emma Hayes recited a line from a Robert Frost poem in response to questions about her Arsenal counterpart Jonas Eidevall after the two clashed after last month’s Conti Cup final.
Hayes — who will leave Chelsea at the end of the season to start her job as USWNT boss — and Eidevall disagreed on the touchline during the final at Molineux, before the she appeared to push the Swede away from her after the match had concluded.
In her post-match press conference, Hayes, 47, criticised the “male aggression” shown by Eidevall during the game — in which Arsenal’s Stina Blackstenius scored the final’s only goal in extra time. Eidevall described Hayes’ comments as “very irresponsible” and rejected her version of events.
Hayes was asked about the incident on Friday and recalled a conversation with her son that took place following the Conti Cup final fallout.
“My son said to me after the game, ‘Mummy, when you push someone in school you’re asked to go and take time out’,” Hayes said.
“I said to him, ‘You know what darling, you can’t meet aggression with aggression, all you can do is tell the teacher, all you can do is go and explain why you think something’s unfair. That’s all you can do.’
“You cannot meet aggression with aggression. I thought it was a really good conversation to have with my son after the final.”
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Hayes was then pressed on whether she stood by her post-match comments following the final, which the Chelsea boss responded to by reading four lines from Robert Frost’s poem Choose Something Like a Star. Frost’s 1943 poem is the narrator speaking to a star in the night sky, in which they are urging it to speak to them and provide clear answers.
“So when at times the mob is swayed, to carry praise and blame too far, we may choose somewhere like a star, to stay our minds on and be staid,” Hayes quoted.
When she was asked what she meant by reciting the poem, Hayes responded: “I’ve had a fantastic break, I’ve already explained an important analogy with my son and the lessons learned and my focus is on moving forward. I’ve had time to look at my star.”
Tensions ran high between Eidevall and Hayes during after the Conti Cup final (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
“I’m very happy with the way I conducted myself. Emotions are high in football,” Eidevall said earlier on Friday when asked about the incident.
“There are two really competitive teams and they want to win so sometimes one team tries to stretch the rules and that’s fine — that’s what we have the referees for and they made sure we stayed to the agreed rules. From my perspective, I wouldn’t change anything.”
The English FA confirmed last week Hayes will not face further action over the incident. “I thought the comments that I heard after the game were very irresponsible,” Eidevall added. “They were not mirroring the conduct that I had in the technical area. That I thought was irresponsible, but that’s all I basically think about it.”
Concluding her press conference, Hayes was asked why she had recited poetry on this occasion.
“I’ll lean on lots of things, not just poetry,” she responded.
“I’ve got different mentors. I’ve got different spiritual leaders, I’ve got great family. I’ve got all of those things. Being in my position is not easy. So, I need to keep my sanity. And I’m grateful that things like that help.”
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(Harriet Lander – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
