CHELSEA Women’s boss Emma Hayes has paid tribute to her dad Sid after he passed away aged 82.
She wrote on Twitter: “It’s the post that I never ever wanted to write. To my gorgeous, amazing dad, life will never be the same without you.
GettyEmma Hayes paid tribute to her dad following his passing[/caption]
https://twitter.com/emmahayes1Hayes called father Sid her ‘champion’[/caption]
“Thank you for everything you taught me, for the life you gave us all and the memories we created.
“You will forever be my champion and while there is a huge hole in my heart I will carry the learnings and the love and will continue to make you proud. Love you papa. RIP.”
Hayes, who has managed Chelsea Women since 2012, dedicated her first FA Cup winners’ medal to her dad and mum after the Blues beat Notts County in 2015.
Sid raised Emma and her sisters Victoria and Rebecca in Camden, having grown up in Somers Town.
He ran the family’s foreign exchange business in Covent Garden for 30 years and always offered encouragement to Hayes when she wanted to play football as a kid.
And despite winning multiple trophies as a manager, Hayes revealed one of her proudest achievements was setting up Regents Park Youth League with her dad when she worked for Camden Council in the late 1990s.
Sid always believed his daughter would succeed in management and correctly predicted she would win multiple medals after her FA Cup glory.
After the 2015 final, he said: “I always saw her winning things, but to do it at Wembley was great.
“It’s just a matter of time before they collect more trophies.”
Fans shared their condolences with one saying: “I’m so sorry to hear the news. Sending my love to you and your family at this difficult time. ”
Another added: “Sorry for your loss, Emma. ”
A third wrote: “So sad to hear this. My thoughts are with you and your family, Emma.”