Eileen Gleeson refuses to deny fallback arrangement

Eileen Gleeson has refused to deny she holds a fallback arrangement of returning to her previous FAI job when she completes her stint as Ireland women’s team boss.

Despite what the association trumpeted as a global search for Vera Pauw’s successor, all they did was upgrade Gleeson’s status from the caretaker she assumed in late August to permanent in December.

She had returned to the Irish circuit from Glasgow City manager as the FAI’s head of women’s and girls’ football in December 2022.

That role was vacated once Pauw’s exit necessitated an internal shuffle and the governing body have since advertised to backfill Gleeson’s role.

However, given the job specification for the vacancy was designated as fixed-term, rather than permanent, suspicions were raised about the nature of Gleeson’s continuity in FAI employment.

Qualified candidates were reportedly put off applying due to the potentially restrictive nature, with one apparently unwilling to just ‘keep the seat warm for Eileen’.

“I am just not going into it,” Gleeson retorted when asked about her parachute into what she last year labelled her dream job overseeing the development of the female game across the game.

“It’s as simple as that. I am here as the head coach of the women's national team and you are asking me about the head of women’s and girls’ football role. If you want to ask any questions about the camp, feel free.” 

 Asked who has, or is, assuming the previous brief since her promotion, she replied: “If you want to ask about that, ask Marc.

“I am fully focused here now and not focused on the head of women’s and girls’ football, I am here, I am busy enough trying to take care of this stuff. I am not going to discuss any other roles.”