Vera Pauw out as Irish manager

Vera Pauw’s reign as Irish manager has come to an end after the FAI decided to not renew her contract.

The Dutch manager recently oversaw the Irish women’s team first entry to the Women’s World Cup, but finished bottom of their group after being drawn against Olympic champions Canada, host nation and eventual semi-finalists Australia and Nigeria.

“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 FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill.

“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,” added Hill.

The World Cup campaign was overshadowed by off-the-field controversy between star player Katie McCabe and Pauw, with the two coming into open conflict at the tournament over tactical decisions.

Under Pauw, the Irish women’s team saw their highest-ever FIFA world ranking of 22, up from 31st when Pauw took over in 2019.