AS IRELAND PREPARE to bring the curtain down on their World Cup debut, Vera Pauw’s future as manager is firmly in focus.
Pauw has repeatedly said she wants to remain at the helm after Ireland’s first-ever major tournament, which officially ends against Nigeria in Brisbane tomorrow.
The Dutch coach has been in charge since 2019 and agreed a two-year contract extension in 2021.
In May, she indicated that negotiations were underway with the FAI and she was hopeful of signing a new deal before the World Cup.
Ireland’s final preparations for the tournament were disrupted by the publication of fresh allegations from Pauw’s time as manager of Houston Dash, which she refuted. In response to the report in The Athletic, the FAI said at the time that they were “fully focused on supporting Vera and the women’s team” ahead of the World Cup, and would not be making any further comment.
With no agreement in place around a new contract, talk is now heightening that this could potentially be Pauw’s last game at the helm.
“I’ve not heard anything yet,” she told the Irish media in Brisbane on Saturday amidst an over and back. She confirmed that her contract ends next month.
“I have been clear. I am preparing for a game and I have not heard yet.
“I have been clear to the FAI, to everybody, to the public. There’s nothing changed.
“If you’ve followed what I’ve said in the press, nothing has changed.”
Asked if there were talks scheduled with the Association, Pauw responded: “That is something you need to discuss with the management (of the FAI).
“Because I am here in a tournament and I have said I want only the performance here. I’m a professional so my personal issues do not matter at all at this moment. We have a huge game on Monday, and I mean that. I don’t even want to talk at this moment. All my energy needs to go into getting this group ready again, for a world-class performance. It is such hard work, so much concentration, you cannot have this distraction.
“There are so many players who said I am not talking about my contract situation at my club because we need to put a world-class performance in on Monday.”
“Elite sport is about results of course, but I am so proud of what we have showed here,” she added.
Louise Quinn, Lucy Quinn, Lily Agg and Kyra Carusa were the players up for media alongside Pauw on Saturday.
All three returned similar answers when asked if they would like to see the manager continue in her role, echoing Katie McCabe’s previous non-committal response last month.
Louise Quinn: “I haven’t thought that much forward. I’m wondering what I’m having for lunch later, I’m wondering what the schedule is for tomorrow. We’ve got a massive game that Vera’s going to get us prepared for, lead us into. For us, that’s obviously what we’re concentrating on right now. I haven’t thought anything past that.”
Lucy Quinn: “I’m really thankful to have been given my first ever caps under Vera but honestly that’s not something I’m thinking about or have any control over. I’m just here to focus on the tournament and worry about next game.”
Lily Agg: “To be honest, I think that’s something as players that we can’t really think about. We have to just focus on the game, we have to focus on the World Cup. We are just going to focus on the game come Monday and we will leave that to the FAI and everyone else really.”
Kyra Carusa: “Honestly, like, we are still in the World Cup. It is my first World Cup and I think we owe it to ourselves to stay focused on that. We’ll play our game on Monday and go from there.”
Pauw senses no weariness among her players. “The only thing I can say is what I can see and that is that players are buying into the game-plans and that we are playing every game better,” she continued.
“If you don’t feel that you can touch players anymore, that is the moment. But usually that’s around year six or so, when players get tired and the coach gets tired. But as long as we move up every game playing better, and having played the best game ever, then you touch each other.”
Heather Payne remains a doubt for Monday’s game against Nigeria as she recovers from a hamstring setback, but Pauw will play her strongest XI otherwise.
“We have an obligation to ourselves, to our fans who came out to the other side of the world, the country has been upside down, but we also have a huge responsibility to the tournament, because Australia and Canada depend on our result.
“That tournament is a worldwide event, Fifa has put millions into it and given us huge bonuses and we have an obligation towards sport in general for women to go for a win. How that turns out is for later, but we’ve discussed with the players that we go for our best game ever.”
