Stephen Kenny reveals phone call with Vera Pauw after her spell ...
Stephen Kenny during a Republic of Ireland squad announcement at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin
Stephen Kenny has revealed he spoke to former senior women’s manager Vera Pauw on Thursday morning, less than 48 hours after the FAI decided not to extend the Dutch native’s contract as her four-year spell came to an end.
“Vera’s legacy is that Ireland qualified for the World Cup,” he said.
“It's a great achievement and she did a terrific job as Ireland manager. I had a good relationship (with her), I spoke to her after she came back from Australia.
"She actually rang me this morning and I spoke to her. It wasn’t the ending she wanted. She can be very proud of her achievements as manager of the women’s team and she did a terrific job.”
The FAI has called time on Pauw's four-year reign as Ireland manager on Tuesday night as the association’s board, after a six-hour debate, decided not to extend her contract with the senior women's team.
Eileen Gleeson will now be in place for the September games in the Nations League in a caretaker capacity as the FAI begin the search for a long-term replacement.
Vera Pauw in Profile
The 11-strong FAI board debated Pauw's future with the association at a board meeting which began at 4pm and lasted until just before 10pm.
"At the meeting of the FAI Board, the Board has decided that Ireland Women's National Team Manager Vera Pauw will not be offered a new contract after the expiry of her current contract at the end of this month," said an FAI statement issued late on Tuesday night.
"Appointed in September 2019, Vera led the team to their first ever major tournament – the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – and a FIFA Women’s World Ranking of 22.
"FAI CEO Jonathan Hill commented: “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. 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."
