Vera Pauw, who was appointed in September 2019, led the Ireland women to their first major tournament; Ireland finished bottom of their World Cup group after losing to Australia and Canada before drawing with Nigeria

Vera Pauw’s tenure as head coach of the Republic of Ireland is coming to an end after almost four years in office.

A lengthy FAI board meeting on Tuesday led to the decision not to renew Pauw’s contract, which expires at the end of this month.

The 60-year-old, who was appointed in September 2019, led the team to its first major tournament – the 2023 Women’s World Cup – and is ranked 22nd in the FIFA Women’s World Ranking.

FAI Chief Executive Jonathan Hill said: “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.

“I especially want to acknowledge the role she played in leading Ireland to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where our women’s team made history and inspired the nation.

“The future is bright for women’s and girls’ football and we are now focusing on the work that Vera has done and the historic achievements of our women’s team, which we see as a platform to support the next stage of the team’s journey. and in a broader sense the development of women’s and girls’ football in this country.”

Earlier this month, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) said they would undergo a “full and comprehensive review” of the team’s debut at the Women’s World Cup before taking a call on head coach Pauwa’s future.

Ireland finished bottom of their group after losing their opening two matches against Australia and Olympic champions Canada before drawing with Nigeria.

The Dutch coach said after their exit from the tournament that she did not feel it would be her last game in charge and attended the team’s return in Dublin.

“Why wouldn’t I be at homecoming? I’ll be back with my team. Otherwise I’d stay in Australia and enjoy the tournament,” she added.

McCabe was tight after Pauwa dropped out

Pauw questioned her captain Katie McCabe’s request to be substituted during the draw with Nigeria, reminding her that she is “not a coach”.

McCabe appeared to question Pauw’s reluctance to return to the bench in the second half of the game 0-0 draw in Brisbane – a result that sent Ireland to last place in Group B.

But Pauw opted not to make any changes until the 83rd minute and explained after the game why she turned down McCabe’s request.

“Why should we change?” asked the manager. “If Katie McCabe says she wants to change, that doesn’t mean she’s not a coach.

“Everyone was doing so well, so I said, ‘What do you want, Katie? Take the best player? No’.”

“Players can be emotional and they can say that. That’s fine, but during the game I will step back and analyze and we will make changes in the moment when it is necessary.”

“A player can tell the coach everything, at least to me.

“She wanted fresh legs on the side [but] everyone did so well. Sinead Farrelly was probably the best player on the pitch at that point, so I wasn’t ready to take the best player.”

McCabe did not comment on her exchange with Pauw after the game, but posted an apparent response to her manager on social media.

Arguably Ireland’s best player, McCabe spent the entire tournament at left-back but still managed to score her country’s only goal at the Women’s World Cup so far, finding the net from a corner against Canada.

However, Ireland lost that match 2-1, which, combined with their earlier 1-0 defeat to co-hosts Australia, meant that McCabe’s side had already been eliminated before meeting Nigeria.

“Being calm, composed and patient in our defensive work, having a lot of possession was really good,” McCabe said after the game. “It was just a matter of using it in the right areas.

“We created some good opportunities and it was disappointing that we didn’t take them.”