Ireland defender Diane Caldwell has criticized their former coach Vera Pauw, stating that the group reached the Women’s Planet Cup “in spite” of her leadership. Caldwell believes that Pauw’s inadequate preparations prevented the players from providing their very best functionality. Regardless of top Ireland to their initially big tournament, Pauw’s contract was not renewed by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) following a evaluation of the team’s functionality.

Caldwell expressed disappointment with the lack of international typical preparation, such as physical preparation, opponent evaluation, match techniques, and in-game tactics. She revealed that the players had requested Pauw to professionalize numerous elements of their preparations.

Pauw, who has now been replaced by interim coach Eileen Gleeson, claimed that her position was undermined by FAI executives for the duration of the Planet Cup. She also talked about that the FAI’s perception of her changed following allegations published by The Athletic in July, which accused her of “abusive and inappropriate” behavior for the duration of her time as manager of Houston Dash in the American prime-flight NWSL. Having said that, Pauw denied these allegations.