Vera Pauw accuses FAI of reneging on contract ‘promise’

Former Republic of Ireland manager Vera Pauw has criticised the FAI following the association’s decision to not extend her contract.

The FAI board of directors voted on Tuesday to cut ties with the Dutch woman after four years as the Republic of Ireland manager, just a month after she guided the team to their first World Cup finals.

Pauw responded on Thursday evening by accusing the FAI executive, which is led by CEO Jonathan Hill, of reneging on a “promised offer”.

“I said before the World Cup that I was extremely happy in Ireland, and that it was my desire to continue in my role,” said Pauw, in a statement released by her representatives BDO Ireland. “I entered into discussions with the FAI to extend my contract back in early March, and was confident that this process could be concluded quickly. At that time I asked Ciarán Medlar [from BDO] to assist me, and the process duly began.”

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Medlar represents the financial interest of several leading Irish athletes. He is also the chairman of Shamrock Rovers.

“I requested that their decision, whatever that may be, would be finalised at the very latest before we went to Australia [in July]. Despite committing to issuing an offer to me the FAI reconsidered their stated position and I never received the promised offer.”

The FAI halted negotiations with Medlar when Pauw spoke at length to The Athletic – the sports arm of the New York Times – to deny any wrongdoing during her time as the Houston Dash coach in 2018. Following an investigation by the National Women’s Soccer League last January, the 60-year-old was banned from coaching professionally in America.

[ Karen Duggan: There was too much noise and too many distractions around Vera Pauw as Ireland manager ]

“Following the article which appeared in The Athletic at the start of July, which included allegations I absolutely refute, I believe the FAI made some major mistakes by directly overruling the tasks of the coach,” Pauw continued. “My position became very challenging when executives in the FAI, not technical football coaches, effectively took my seat and spoke to staff members and players regarding their roles in the team before and after the World Cup.”

Ireland’s first major tournament ended with internal rancour as Pauw stated that her team captain Katie McCabe “was not the coach” after McCabe asked her to “freshen up” the team against Nigeria.

Pauw also stated that the tournament review process, carried out by FAI director of football Marc Canham, was “flawed” and “predetermined”.

“My advice – coming from my knowledge and experience – was often disregarded and not respected,” she added. “In my opinion no head coach in the world would accept interference of the executives in technical football affairs. Unfortunately trust broke down between me and certain people in the FAI.”

Vera Pauw statement in full

I have enjoyed four wonderful years working as head coach of the Republic of Ireland Senior International Women’s Team.

I have had the opportunity to work with excellent colleagues and players during that time and have truly loved the experiences we have had together and what we have achieved over that time. To have qualified for our first World Cup was a true reflection of our progress and was a historic achievement shared by us all. I am so proud of our campaign, from our first qualifying game through to our final match at the World Cup finals. It is hopefully only the start of much more to come.

While we had hoped for better results on the pitch in Australia, even when faced with our biggest opponents, we demonstrated our growth and our ability to compete at the world’s highest level.

As an elite coach, losing never sits well with me, but the immense support and congratulations that I have received on our campaign coming from all over the world will have a long-lasting influence on me.

The Irish people have been so welcoming and supportive of me from the day I arrived here, and I have been very happy and always felt extremely safe in Ireland. I will never forget the warmth the Irish people have shown towards me and a part of me will always feel Irish from here on! To have been asked to be the grand marshal at the St Patrick’s Day parade earlier this year was such an honour for me and will remain a highlight of my life.

The Irish fans are rightly recognised all over the world for their fantastic support and the way they have been behind this team, both at home and away, has been remarkable. In Australia, there were thousands of Irish fans in the stadiums, on the streets, at the airport or singing in the pubs. We had a very special homecoming in Dublin. I knew that this was a goodbye from me to all the people in Ireland who have actively supported me. It was not a sad moment; rather it felt like a celebration of our connection. It is great to see the growth in and enthusiasm for women’s football in Ireland and the way the fans have shared in our journey.

I am conscious that there has been a lot of noise in recent times around my contract and I believe I should make some brief comment.

I said before the World Cup that I was extremely happy in Ireland and that it was my desire to continue in my role. I entered into discussions with the FAI to extend my contract back in early March and was confident that this process could be concluded quickly. At that time I asked Ciarán Medlar to assist me and the process duly began. The FAI also expressed their commitment to this outcome and worked with my representative to bring this to a conclusion. I requested that their decision, whatever that may be, would be finalised at the very latest before we went to Australia.

Despite committing to issuing an offer to me, the FAI reconsidered their stated position and I never received the promised offer. I parked the contract discussions while we were in Australia, as my sole focus was the team and the competition.

Following the article which appeared in the Athletic at the start of July, which included allegations I absolutely refute, I believe the FAI made some major mistakes by directly overruling the tasks of the coach.

My position became very challenging when executives in the FAI, not technical football coaches, effectively took my seat and spoke to staff members and players regarding their roles in the team before and after the World Cup. My advice – coming from my knowledge and experience – was often disregarded and not respected. In my opinion, no head coach in the world would accept interference of the executives in technical football affairs.

Unfortunately, trust broke down between me and certain people in the FAI. I believe that the review process which the association has carried out was flawed and that the outcome was predetermined.

Indeed, some discussions were held with players and staff before and during the World Cup which undermined my position and had an impact on our team-building process. That is perhaps for another day.

However, I do not leave with any regrets and my overriding emotions today are of happiness and pride to have played a part in the wonderful journey of this team over the last four years.

This team will only grow. Better structures are now in place, facilities have improved, stability is secured and the players are ready to face any challenge. I am confident that women’s football in Ireland will go from strength to strength.

Thank you all so much for making my time in Ireland unforgettable.

I wish continued success to this team. I will be watching closely.

Vera