Vera Pauw claims she was undermined and disrespected by the FAI during the Women's World Cup and says the decision not to renew her contract as Ireland manager was based on a "flawed" post-World Cup review with an outcome that was "pre-determined".
Commenting for the first time since her four-year spell in charge of Ireland came to an end earlier this week, Pauw's explosive statement says "trust broke down" between her and certain people within the FAI. This, Pauw claims, made her work with the Irish team "very challenging".
"My position became very challenging when executives in the FAI, not technical football coaches, effectively took my seat and spoke to staff members and players regarding their roles in the team before and after the World Cup. My advice - coming from my knowledge and experience - was often disregarded and not respected. In my opinion, no head coach in the world would accept interference of the executives in technical football affairs."
The FAI's director of football, Marc Canham, led a post-tournament review based on feedback from Pauw, her staff and the Ireland players.
"I believe that the review process which the Association has carried out was flawed," Pauw's statement adds, "and that the outcome was pre-determined. Indeed, some discussions were held with players and staff before and during the World Cup which undermined my position and had an impact on our teambuilding process."
The FAI will not comment on Pauw's statement until CEO Jonathan Hill carries out a media briefing on the World Cup review following the upcoming men's international games.
The experienced Dutch coach also accused the association of reneging on a "promised" new contract.
"I said before the World Cup that I was extremely
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