Ireland captain Katie McCabe has pledged her support for manager Vera Pauw following allegations of misconduct from her time in charge at Houston Dash in 2018.
Four ex-Dash players and three former staff members spoke to The Athletic about Pauw’s alleged controlling training methods, comments about players’ weight and eating habits and aggressive behaviour.
Pauw strongly denied any wrong-doing. She said it was the players who created a hostile environment for her and these claims are the result of an “agenda” from a small group, which are “evidence” of a “gender bias” against female coaches.
The 60-year-old Dutchwoman is preparing to lead the Republic of Ireland to their maiden Women’s World Cup, which kicks off in Australia and New Zealand on July 20.
McCabe admitted the timing of the allegations was “not great” but emphasised her and her team-mates’ support for their manager.
When asked if the group supports Pauw, McCabe replied: “Yes. We’ve built something over the last two-and-a-half years. We’ve worked really hard to contain the culture we have within the group on and off the pitch. We’ve had highs and we’ve had lows over the last few years and our jobs is to put in high quality performances for our country.
“I can’t answer for each and…
