Pauw contract talks with FAI shelved until after World Cup

VERA Pauw is set to lead the Republic of Ireland into the World Cup finals this summer with uncertainty over her future as manager.

FAI chiefs, and Pauw herself, have agreed to shelve talks on a new contract and to keep the focus firmly on preparing the team for the tournament in Australia.

Pauw, 60 last week, is out of contract as soon as Ireland’s involvement in the finals are over, which raises the possibility of her being head-hunted for another job should Ireland perform above expectations.

‘While Vera and I speak on a regular basis, we haven’t talked about her future beyond her current contract,’ said FAI CEO Jonathan Hill.

‘She and I both want her to concentrate as much as possible on the upcoming tournament (World Cup),’ he added.

It may appear a risk for the FAI to put talks on the back-burner, especially as Ireland will be involved in the Women’s Nations League this autumn, with the Euro 2025 qualifiers due to kick off in 13 months.

Hill confirmed there will be further warmup games for Pauw’s team in April and July, following the friendly with China PR in Algeciras, Spain on February 22.

Ahead of the 2024 Euro qualifiers, Hill believes Stephen Kenny should continue as manager if Ireland miss out on a top-two finish in their group but find themselves in the play-offs.

‘Stephen has a contract until the end of the Euro 2024 qualification campaign, whenever that point may be reached. The play-offs are part of that,’ said Hill.

‘Stephen and his team are at the start of what’s going to be an incredibly challenging but also incredibly exciting year.’

Jim Crawford has agreed a contract extension with the FAI to continue as Republic of Ireland U21 manager for the 2025 UEFA European Championships.

Crawford’s ticket again includes Alan Reynolds, the Derry City coach and John O’Shea, the first-team coach at Stoke.