The Republic of Ireland Women's Manager, Vera Pauw, has been relieved of her duties with the national team.
Pauw's future was discussed at an FAI board meeting on Tuesday, and the outcome of the meeting has led to a parting of ways between the FAI and the Dutch coach.
The 60-year-old took charge of the women's team in September 2019 and led the team to their first-ever major tournament, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, and a FIFA Women’s World Ranking of 22.
Ireland was knocked out of their group by Canada, and speculation arose that Pauw would not be the Ireland manager going into the next set of fixtures and campaigns. Player tensions were said to be a big factor in the FAI's decison to sack Pauw.
During Ireland's final World Cup group game, Ireland captain Katie McCabe and Pauw got into a verbal exchange over substitutions. After the game, Pauw said, “If Katie McCabe says that she wants a change, that doesn’t mean she’s the coach,” Pauw said. “Everybody was doing so well. And I said, ‘What do you want, Katie? To take the best player off?’ No."
McCabe then tweeted out a zipped-up emoji later in the evening, which prompted speculation that Ireland's captain and players were not fully supportive of the idea of keeping Pauw in the job.
There was also a press conference on the eve of the Nigeria game where Pauw was asked if she would like clarity on the contract saga and replied, "Yes."
'Vera Pauw's single-mindedness and absolute dedication to her methods were both a driving force and corrosive influence on Republic of Ireland,' writes @AP_Pynehttps://t.co/edA6rsxf0O
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) August 30, 2023
Ireland defender Megan Connolly was also in attendance at that same press conference and confirmed that the decision was not for her to decide.
“Obviously, it’s not my decision,” she said. “What we have achieved in the past two or three years under Vera has been amazing," she said in July.
“I think she helped us get to this point, and I can only speak from my own personal experience. Vera has been great for me, but it’s not my decision.”
Ireland is next in action against Northern Ireland on Saturday, September 23, in a historic Nations League fixture at the Aviva Stadium. So, a quick resolution to the matter had to come sooner rather than later between the parties.
A press release released to the media on Tuesday read, "At the meeting of the FAI Board, the Board has decided that Ireland Women's National Team Manager, Vera Pauw, will not be offered a new contract after the expiry of her current contract at the end of this month.
"Appointed in September 2019, Vera led the team to their first-ever major tournament – the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – and a FIFA Women’s World Ranking of 22."
FAI CEO Jonathan Hill also commented: “On behalf of the Football Association of Ireland, we would like to thank Vera for her hard work and commitment over the past four years and wish her well for the future. In particular, I wish to acknowledge the role she played in leading Ireland to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, where our women’s team made history and inspired a nation.
“The future is bright for women and girls’ football, and our focus now is building upon the work done by Vera and the historic achievements of our women’s team, which we see as a platform to support the next phase of the journey for the team and, more broadly, the development of women and girls’ football in this country.”
