The FAI's decision not to renew Vera Pauw’s contract as Republic of Ireland manager had nothing to do with player power, according to PFAI general secretary Stephen McGuinness.
Despite leading Ireland to a maiden Women’s World Cup, speculation had been growing in recent weeks that the Dutch woman’s tenure would be brought to an end.
On Tuesday the association confirmed that they would be going in a new direction after a board meeting where a full report on the team's World Cup qualification campaign and the tournament itself was discussed, with Eileen Gleeson appointed interim head coach.
Allegations, denied by Pauw, of shaming players for their weight and attempted to exert excessive control over their eating habits during her time at Houston Dash dominated the build-up to the tournament, while a group stage exit was compounded by strained relations with the players, culminating with an on-field disagreement with captain Katie McCabe.
RTÉ soccer analyst Paul Corry believes that Pauw simply lost the dressing room and while the PFAI played no part in the FAI review, McGuinness insists that the decision was based on speaking to all stakeholders, rather than a player heave against the manager.
"Everybody was given an input into this report," he told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
"The decision was made that Vera wasn’t going to be able to sustain the success that she has had. In social media, people have been pointing fingers, but in the mainstream, I think everybody knows this isn’t a player-power move.
"This is a move by the FAI who see that the long-term success of the team needs somebody to bring it on from where it is now."
Commenting on the players' decision not to back Pauw publicly and the silence since Pauw’s exit, McGuinness said: "In time that will happen."
McGuinness acknowledged that Pauw did an "incredible" job in the role, but that having gauged opinions, the FAI feels the time is right for someone else to build on the foundations laid down by the Dutch woman.
While a cloud has remained since the World Cup exit, McGuinness says it is an exciting time for women’s football given the rapid rate of development in the game.
"Every single player in that squad is a professional now," he said. "In 2017, when we started representing the players, 70% of players were domestic based. Now there are just two, Abbie Larkin and Aine O’Gorman, who are both professional as well.
"This group of players has changed and developed.
"Vera has been hugely successful in getting us to a World Cup, and maybe the feeling in the FAI is that to sustain that we need to bring in a new coach who will bring it on further."
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