Vera Pauw: Nothing should detract from players' magic year

Vera Pauw says allegations made against her in a report by the US National Women's Soccer League [NWSL] should not detract from the Republic of Ireland players' "magic year".

Pauw was named among several managers and coaches in a report by the NWSL that discovered widespread, ongoing misconduct in the 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".

Pauw has strongly denied all allegations and on Friday said she will consider the possibility of legal action.

"I don't feel any guilt in this," she said. "I don't feel it has anything to do with that fantastic performance that we have done with Ireland. We made the impossible possible, so I don’t want to take that away from the players.

"It’s their performances, their magic year. It’s a magic year for women’s football in Ireland. And this is completely separate. This is going back to 2018. It has nothing to do with those fantastic tigers of Ireland, really nothing to do with them. So I hope that everybody realises that."

Pauw has endured an emotional rollercoaster in 2022, personally and professionally.

In July the Republic of Ireland manager released a statement alleging that she was raped as a young player in the Netherlands. Pauw revealed she'd suffered abuse and serious sexual assault during her time as a player and coach in Dutch football.

In the months since, she has publicly thanked the Irish public on a number of occasions for their overwhelmingly positive support. There has been an enormous sense of goodwill