Emma Hayes breaks silence on Lauren James unfollowing Lioness teammates after FA Cup incident

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes has addressed the situation regarding Lauren James reportedly unfollowing some of her England colleagues on Instagram. Hayes revealed she hasn't had a conversation with James since the incident that occurred following the Women's FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester United.

In the match that saw Chelsea's Treble ambitions dashed with a 2-1 defeat, 22-year-old James managed to score for the Blues in added time of the first half. The game also featured a heated moment when James and United's Millie Turner clashed as James attempted to restart play quickly.

The scuffle led to both players receiving yellow cards, and Turner later celebrated United's win by posting a photo of the altercation on social media with the caption: «KAMMOONNNN.»

Following the match, it was observed by fans that James appears to have unfollowed Turner, as well as fellow United and England players Ella Toone and Mary Earps on Instagram, reports the Mirror.

Before Chelsea's win against Aston Villa in the Women's Super League on Wednesday, Blues manager Hayes was questioned about James' experience with online abuse, including racial slurs. «We don't look at Instagram. She doesn't have it, so I don't know,» claimed Hayes.

«I haven't had the conversation about Instagram with her. We haven't talked about it.» added the Chelsea boss. While James does have an Instagram account, it's unclear whether she manages it herself or has a social media team, as many professional athletes do.

«I guess if you read it, or you look at it, I don't know what the noise is, I don't know what it says,» continued Hayes. «All I know is that I am focused on what I do every day and my reminder to the team is that you continue to do those tasks. I can't control