The FAI needs to explain the decision not to offer Vera Pauw a new contract, or matters off the pitch will continue to overshadow events on it, according to former Ireland manager Sue Ronan.
Pauw was informed, following a board meeting, that her contract with the FAI would not be renewed.
The review of the World Cup sought input from players, staff and Pauw herself, but responding to the decision last week, Pauw told RTÉ Sport that the FAI executive undermined her authority ahead of and during the World Cup.
In a wide-ranging interview, the 60-year-old made a number of claims against the FAI, though the association has remained tight-lipped since the announcement.
Speaking on the RTÉ soccer podcast, Ronan says for the sake of clarity in order to move on, the FAI needs to make a public statement.
"There is a vacuum now, there is a lack of information, and unfortunately there has been a bit of a backlash against the players, which I think is unfair," she said.
"What they (players) said in the review, they wouldn't have said it lightly.
"I think the FAI need to come out now and explain why they haven’t given Vera the new contract."
Pauw accused FAI executives of undermining her role as manager by speaking to staff members and players regarding their roles in the team before and after the tournament in Australia.
Ronan says, for now, we only have one public version of events.
"Vera is quite clear in the fact she doesn’t think the review was done correctly. She said it started immediately after the Nigeria game, and not enough time given for reflection.
"I don’t see anything wrong with executives talking to players or different people around things as simple as facilities, communications, travel and logistics. That’s all reasonable. That’s the responsibility of the FAI staff there.
"However if they were speaking to players about on-pitch stuff, that’s absolutely incorrect.
"We need the FAI to come out and clarify what has happened."
Former Glasgow City, UCD Waves and Peamount United boss Eileen Gleeson has been appointed interim head coach and will oversee the historic match at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, 23 September when Northern Ireland are the visitors, before travelling to Budapest to take on Hungary three days later in their opening League B games.
With the waters still muddied, Ronan says that once again, the focus is likely to be on off-field matters despite the upward curve of the team.
"The players probably got frustrated with that exterior noise (pre World Cup), and unfortunately, it’s going to be the same again. The fact that the FAI have not come out and cleared things up, it’s just going to drag it out more. As we get closer to that game (Northern Ireland), the focus in the press conferences will be why didn’t the FAI keep Vera?
"That’s a shame because this team has really made women’s football more visible. We should be talking about this historic game at the Aviva Stadium, which I would hope we would win.
"That needs to be the focus, and until the FAI comes out to put the issues to bed, there is always going to be those questions."
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