Vera Pauw: I am the coach, not Katie McCabe

McCabe has since used her Twitter account to post a message of an emoji with a zipped mouth.

Republic of Ireland manager Vera Pauw with players, from left, Áine O'Gorman, Katie McCabe and Marissa Sheva. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Vera Pauw has reaffirmed her authority as Ireland manager by confirming she ignored a request by Katie McCabe to make substitutions during the World Cup stalemate against Nigeria.

Speculation about differences between players and the manager have compounded in recent days the silence from the FAI over a contract renewal that Pauw has been publicly critical of.