Women's Aid says PL clubs should give relationship training to players

Women's Aid has appealed to football clubs to train their players in controlling behaviours amid the Kyle Walker cheating saga.

The charity, which works to end domestic abuse against women and children, said football clubs could become 'complicit' in players launching PR campaigns to avoid accountability.

It comes as the Manchester City defender Walker, 33, was branded a 'disgrace' by fans after learning he'd fathered a second 'love child' with the influencer Lauryn Goodman, 33, while his wife and childhood sweetheart Annie Kilner, 30, is heavily pregnant.

Women's Aid has now waded in on the saga to issue a statement, a spokeswoman saying: 'At Women's Aid we know from our long-term work with football, that while controlling and manipulative behaviour can happen in relationships no matter what your job, that very successful footballers will have access to high-level PR and legal support through their financial position that can enable them to control the narrative of what has happened.

'We urge all football clubs to have training in controlling behaviours in relationships for this reason, to ensure they don't inadvertently become complicit in players changing the narrative to benefit themselves and avoid accountability for their actions.'

Despite the England star cheating on his wife, it was Ms Goodman who was branded 'toxic' for coming between Walker and Ms Kilner for revealing he was, in fact, the father of her seven-month-old daughter.

The pair already shared a three-year-old son, Kairo, who conceived during a fling while Walker and Ms Kilner were taking a break from their relationship in 2019.

Beyond being unfaithful to his wife, Ms Goodman described the footballer's behaviour towards her as 'controlling' while paying