Pauw denies wrongdoing after being named in US Soccer report

Republic of Ireland manager Vera Pauw has denied any wrongdoing after being named amongst several managers and coaches in a report by the US National Women's Soccer League that discovered widespread, ongoing misconduct in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

The investigation unit received reports of ongoing misconduct at "more than half" of the NWSL clubs during the 14-month inquiry.

The report claimed Pauw — who was in charge at Houston Dash in 2018 — attempted to "exert excessive control" over her players' "eating habits" and that it was not in "best practice".

Players interviewed in the report claimed Pauw had negatively "affected a team-mate struggling with an eating disorder" and had criticised the appearance of players.

According to the report the Ireland boss did attend an interview by an investigation team and provided a written denial of the allegations.

In the letter Pauw stated that she had never remarked on the appearance of a player or kept track of players' weight.

Pauw admitted one player had come to her in relation to another player with the eating disorder, but the Ireland boss denied she had a role in any player’s condition.

The report also makes a number of allegations against the outgoing Houston Dash boss James Clarkson.

"We apologise to players, present and former," Houston Dash said in a statement.

"The Houston Dash commend the courage of the players and staff who participated in the Joint Investigation and the important work of the NWSL and NWSLPA Joint Investigative Team over the last 14 months.

"Our vision of building and maintaining a culture of excellence on and off the pitch starts with cultivating a respectful and healthy working environment. Our priority is to ensure that our personnel and