Pauw blasts FAI over interference and Garda vetting claims

Former Ireland manager Vera Pauw has lashed out at the FAI making astonishing claims about apparent interference and negligence from senior executives and even fired a broadside at her own assistant manager, Tom Elmes. 

But the Dutch coach, whose term as Ireland boss ended in acrimony this week, has raised the pressure again on FAI CEO Jonathan Hill and Technical Director Marc Canham by accusing them of undermining her at this summer's World Cup and questioning the association's handling of abuse claims made against her. 

In a startling interview with RTÉ's Tony O'Donoghue Pauw accused Canham of beginning his review into her tenure during the tournament in Australia 

"That review was done by the technical director," Pauw said. "He's not trained to make reviews and he was part of the process, so the assignment on the technical director is something that...to do a review, immediately starting, while still in camp after the Nigeria game, is something you cannot reflect.

"The evaluation has not been done, and he started with my assistant. First my assistant, then the communications manager, and I came in as the third person."

Pauw said that Englishman Elmes, who had been added to her staff in 2021, had been critical of her in his review with Canham but refuted what was apparently said. 

"I felt immediately that my assistant had set the benchmark with things that were absolutely ridiculous," she continued. "For example he said there was no communication, we did not discuss things. Every morning we had a staff meeting and every single detail of my task was discussed, from the setup of the training sessions to the game plan, the strategies."

Pauw again accused the FAI of reneging on a promise to have here future cleared up