On Tuesday, the manager of the Republic of Ireland Women's team, Vera Pauw, was relieved of her duties with the national team. After an FAI board meeting held on Tuesday, the FAI board of directors decided to seek a new coach to lead the Ireland team.
The 60-year-old Dutch woman became the first manager of Ireland's WNT to lead the team to a World Cup. The team was eventually knocked out of the tournament in the group stage.
According to reports, player tensions were a significant part of Pauw's dismissal as Ireland's boss. Rifts with players like Ireland's Katie McCabe over subs were the final nail in the coffin.
A statement from the FAI on Tuesday read, “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,” said Jonathan Hill, the FAI chief executive, in a statement.
“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,” he added. “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.”
Vera Pauw has been treated by the FAI in an appalling and completely unfair manner. It's a pity they wouldn't employ the same prompt decision-making process with the men's senior manager, who, by comparison, has achieved nothing😡⚽️🇮🇪 #VeraPauw pic.twitter.com/cE63mK1WWY
— 👹Eamon Fitzpatrick🇮🇪 (@fitzpatrickeamo) August 29, 2023
Fans of the national team have slammed the decision to sack the former NWSL coach. One Twitter user described Pauw's departure as a 'travesty'. "This is a travesty. The best manager of the women's team in history. Hounded out of her job by players and their collaborators in the media. A shame and an embarrassment."
"Imagine Ireland sacking Jack Charlton in 1990. Unimaginable, right? Well, that's what just happened to Vera Pauw," said another. While others described the decision as 'appalling'.
"Vera Pauw has been treated by the FAI in an appalling and completely unfair manner. It's a pity they wouldn't employ the same prompt decision-making process with the men's senior manager, who, by comparison, has achieved nothing."
Head of Women’s and Girls’ football Eileen Gleeson and assistant coach Tom Elms are on hand to take over on an interim basis until the FAI finds Pauw's successor.
Ireland's next game will be in the Nations League against Northern Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on September 23. This will be the women's team's debut at Lansdowne Road.
