Ireland women's soccer coach confident of a follow-up to rape allegations 

Vera Pauw: 'I feel free, it’s out of my body. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Vera Pauw is confident there will finally be a follow-up to her allegations of rape while she worked with Dutch football federation, KNVB.

The manager of the Ireland women’s team revealed on July 1 details of historical assaults from male staff tracing back to her time as a player 35 years ago. She has escalated the issue, which involved three separate attacks, to the police.

The KNVB publicly apologised, promising “recovery mediation". 

Speaking for the first time about the case since her statement seven weeks ago, Ms Pauw confirmed  there had been an engagement.

“I’ve been hiding under a stone for a few weeks,” Pauw said on Friday while announcing her squad for next week’s double-header that could see Ireland seal a tournament playoff for the first time in 14 years.

“I’ve had a meeting with my lawyer with the president of the Dutch FA [Just Spee]. Let’s say it like this — it needs a follow-up.

“I cannot say much about it legally. I hope you can read between the lines when I said there will come a follow-up. I cannot say much about it. When I can, you will hear — if you want to still hear.”

Pauw, who is still based in the country she represented 89 times at senior level and managed between 1984 and 1998, explained how liberated she has felt since going public with her ordeal.

She hopes her example acts as a catalyst for females in sport suffering in silence.

“I feel free, it’s out of my body,” she explained. "I feel open in my relationships with people but there is still a long way to go. I’m happy to be open about that. You feel you must do something to change your life."

She said she was talking now to to help others "who maybe are not there yet". 

"It needs to get out of your body. I feel that a barrier has disappeared," she said. 

I want to say to all the women, if you have the guts, deal with it, because it really gets to your heart.

“Where you look in the mirror when you dress up for the coach conference in Uefa and you think for the first time in your life ‘Oh that looks nice on you’. Because, previously, you only see as if you are judged on how you look instead of who you are.

“That is freedom for me — in my relationships with people around me, especially the ones I don’t know too well. The ones that I know very well are different.” 

The world’s governing body, Fifa, has requested Pauw to highlight her case at conferences, but Ireland’s quest to reach a first-ever major tournament, next year’s World Cup, is consuming her time for now.

“Fifa has approached me to discuss but I’ve pushed it a little bit forward so it is all behind me. I’ve reacted positively but I want to repeat that I want to be seen as a coach first.

“I’m the same Vera. For me, it is the end of the process, for you, it is a shock. For you, it’s probably how do I approach it? Yeah, it’s difficult for the other side as well, I understand that. I’m a better Vera than I was before my statement.”

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