LAST UPDATE | 1 Sep 2023

FORMER IRELAND COACH Vera Pauw has said she is “absolutely fine” with captain Katie McCabe in her first interview since the FAI decided not to renew her contract.

Pauw yesterday put out a statement where she claimed the Association’s review of the World Cup that led to her exit was “flawed” and with a “pre-determined outcome.”

The Dutchwoman gave a 38-minute interview to RTÉ’s Tony O’Donoghue today, in which she further discussed her claim that she was undermined by FAI ahead of and during the World Cup.

In the first clips released by RTÉ, Pauw explained that she has had a lengthy conversation with McCabe and there is no problem between the pair. 

'I love Katie' - Vera Pauw says her relationship with captain Katie McCabe remains strong in a wide-ranging and exclusive interview with @Corktod #RTEsoccer | Read more: https://t.co/DuTlIgeFcL pic.twitter.com/vl7dvKYW2W

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 1, 2023

The captain and manager had an on-field exchange during Ireland’s final World Cup game against Nigeria, with McCabe subsequently tweeting a zipped mouth emoji after Pauw discussed the incident in the post-match press conference. 

“We’ve spoken for over an hour with each other,” said Pauw.

“We are absolutely fine with each other. I’ve seen a lot on twitter regarding Katie. I hope that stops now. It’s a young woman that made a mistake. I’ve made mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes.

“She should not be held accountable. I love Katie. Without spark no fire. And without fire no performance. Katie gives us so much. No hard feelings to her at all.”

The full interview was released this evening. Pauw claimed that the FAI executive undermined her authority, and that her staff turned against her.

Having asserted the Association reneged on a contract renewal ‘promise’, she began by giving a timeline of negotiations.

“My contract, that was an issue, yah. In January, the CEO was asked about the situation, his answers were not the most handiest and I saved him before the February camp when I said at that moment, I wasn’t ready for it and I will deal with it when the programme is set. I know in press it said after the World Cup but I never said that, I said when my programme is set. And that was on the 10th of March.

“I texted the CEO and said I was ready for talks and we are now 25 weeks later and nothing had happened until two days before the end of my contract. In May, there was going to be a final discussion with an offer, which was not made and on the 9th of June, a text message came that an offer would be made before the end of that afternoon, so far before the Athletic interview came out and then the Athletic interview came out.

“I had personal reasons why I had to engage in it, and the details are known by the CEO and the communications manager, so I have been completely honest to them about it but it looks now as if the same things were put into that article and I have stepped overboard to engage with players, or to put players under pressure just before the World Cup. Which was not the case. And of course, the timing was not okay. From that moment on, the CEO has had meetings with staff members, with players and that has had a major influence on the development of the authority during the World Cup.”

She later added: “Now we have made a programme, we have made agreements, and one of the agreements for example was we would have a bubble so that I would have my moments to address things. And that bubble would be breakfast, lunch, dinner and the team meetings. For not one second has it been guarded. Management came in and out at any moment that they wanted.

“I was checked constantly. There was even a Fifa safeguarding officer at the first training that entered the pitch. I was told that every team would have a safeguarding officer and that the safeguarding officer was free to come and go whenever she wanted. After the training I said, ‘You are welcome to come here at all times, but don’t come on the pitch, because the pitch is the players and the staff and nobody else.’ So she apologised, because I am sure that Fifa said to be better to restrict yourself from being present. So she apologised and I never saw her again.

“After the World Cup I’ve engaged with all the coaches I know, and I know quite some, and every single coach said, ‘Safeguarding officer? What? I don’t even know about the existence of it.’”

Pauw spoke about how having her authority undermined manifested in terms of players and their attitude and actions towards her.

“Everybody knows that the bond between me and the players was so good and there was space for friction and there was space for discussion and there was space for joy and there was space for laughter. But now, I just felt the players drifting away — in their looks to me and in the way they were dealing with it.

“I found out that behind my back, all things were happening. I found out that behind my back, even my staff was talking bad… I felt betrayed.”

On the players’ lack of public backing with her future in the spotlight, she continued:

“The thing is they were briefed. One player was really upset about how her remarks were put in the press. I said, ‘Listen, I know how you feel about me, don’t worry, I know what’s happening here.’ They were in such a difficult position. I don’t blame any player at all for anything, because if that is happening around them…”

Pauw also highlighted an incident as she met FAI executives to discuss the World Cup review.

“I said can we conclude that this article [in The Athletic] has brought attention into that squad that we did not overcome? At first management said, ‘Yes’, and then they thought ‘No, no no, no’. I said, ‘Because of false accusations’. And then it was said, ‘False? Do we actually have a Garda vetting of you Vera?’ I fell off my chair, because I don’t know why he said it. If you get a report about one of your employees in December 2022 the first thing you do is check if you have a Garda vetting.

“Of course I was.”

She revealed she turned down two job offers as she believed she’d be staying on as Ireland manager.

The FAI have been contacted for comment.

You can watch the full interview with RTÉ here:

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