WITH the outgoing Vera Pauw aiming a broadside at the FAI yesterday, her former male counterpart Stephen Kenny was trying to rouse the Irish footballing public into believing the men are not out of Euro 2024 qualification by a long shot.
Pauw rang Kenny yesterday to wish him and his Republic of Ireland team good luck for their upcoming Euro qualifiers against France (a) and Holland (h) and to also say goodbye after she wasn’t offered a new contract to stay on in her role as Ireland senior women’s team manager following Tuesday night’s FAI board meeting.
The Dutch woman did more than say Slán in a two-page statement released to the media at tea-time where she claimed members of the FAI undermined her authority before and during the women’s World Cup finals in Australia – prompted by the anonymous allegations made against her of being too controlling of players during a coaching spell with Houston Dash in 2018, a story that was revisited by The Athletic on the eve of the World Cup.
In a statement, Pauw said: “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,” 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.
“I believe that the review process which the Association has carried out was flawed and that the outcome was pre-determined. 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 teambuilding process. That is perhaps for another day.”
Pauw expressed her unequivocal fondness for the Irish people and said that being asked to be the Grand Marshall at the St Patrick’s Day parade “a highlight of my life”.
There were no warm goodbyes for her players in the statement as relations appeared soured, evidenced by her fractious relationship with captain Katie McCabe.
Pauw continued: “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.”
Earlier in the day, Kenny did not want to be drawn on Pauw’s controversial departure after naming his 25-man squad for the France and Holland games next week.
Asked if he was surprised by Pauw’s departure, Kenny replied: “Listen, I’m not close to any of that because obviously I have my own job to focus on, I’m in England a lot and I’m not close to anything like that. Obviously, her record is excellent, and I wish her well.”
The Ireland men’s team’s chances of reaching the Euro finals in Germany next year suffered a body blow back in June when they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Greece in Athens, and with France and Holland on the horizon, the side face a daunting challenge to get back into contention in Group B.
Kenny, though, has always been the eternal optimist and draws a lot of confidence from the manner of their performance against France – a 1-0 defeat – in Dublin in March.
“It's a brilliant week to be involved in football,” said the Dubliner. “It's a very special week, to play France in Paris and play Holland here in front of a full house, a sell-out in a European Championship qualifier, really big games. It’s very exciting for everyone involved.
“It's a tough challenge on one hand, but the other side of it is, I feel that we are just one big win away from the group having a completely different complexion - to pull that one big win out.
“All of our games against the top teams have been such narrow games, now we just need to come out on the right side of one of those games and it looks completely different.”
Kenny has recalled Shane Duffy, Enda Stevens and Aaron Connolly but is without Seamus Coleman (injured) and Matt Doherty who is suspended for the French tie.
Vera Pauw's 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 an 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 Marshall 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 re-considered 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 pre-determined.
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 teambuilding 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.
