FAI pledge support for Vera Pauw following weight shaming allegations

The Football Association of Ireland have pledged to continue supporting women's national team manager Vera Pauw following historic allegations of misconduct during her time in charge of Houston Dash.

Pauw spent a year in charge of the Dash between September 2017 and September 2018, before taking the Ireland job the following autumn. She guided Ireland to qualification for their first ever Women's World Cup earlier this year.

The 59-year-old has been named in the report of the NWSL and NWSLPA's joint investigation into allegations of abuse and misconduct in the NWSL. Pauw denies the allegations.

The report alleges that Pauw 'shamed players for their weight and attempted to exert excessive control over their eating habits'. Players reported that Pauw’s comments affected a teammate struggling with an eating disorder.

"Players credibly reported that Pauw criticised players for their appearance – for example, saying that some players were 'too big' while praising other players for losing weight, with no apparent correlation to performance or health," the report read.

The Republic of Ireland manager appeared for an interview with the investigation team but 'refused to cooperate.' She provided a written statement denying what she suspected were the allegations against her.

Following the release of the report, the FAI provided the following statement:

"The Football Association of Ireland is aware of an NWSL/NWSLPA joint report into historical events within its own League in which Republic of Ireland Women's National Team Manager Vera Pauw has been referenced.

"Neither the FAl or Vera had sight of this report before it was published and we note that Vera has already expressed her views to the authors of the report.

"The FAl continues to support Vera and her team as they prepare for the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023."