Republic of Ireland manager Vera Pow says she was raped and sexually assaulted by three men involved in Dutch football. The 59-year-old, who played for the Netherlands and managed them for six years, has been the Irish boss since 2019.
In a statement released on Twitter, she said: “For 35 years, I have kept a secret from the world, from my family, my teammates, my players, my colleagues, and, I can now accept, from myself.”
She says she was raped by a “prominent football official” when she was a young player – and later sexually assaulted by two other men.
His statement said all three were employed in Dutch football at the time of the incident. In response, the Dutch FA said it had launched an independent investigation in the past in collaboration with POW and admitted it had made mistakes.
“We acknowledge the errors identified in the report, which should not have happened to her. It is unacceptable that Vera did not experience the safe working environment she deserved at the time.”
Pow said that as a player and manager, he faced systematic sexual abuse, abuse of power, bullying and intimidation in the Dutch set-up.
“For these past 35 years, I have kept the abuse private. I have allowed the memory of it to control my life, to fill me with daily pain and anguish, to dominate my inner feelings,” she said.
“Too many, I am seen as a bold and loud football coach and manager, a tough woman who has risen to the top in a man’s world. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
She says she filed five reports to the Dutch FA without receiving a satisfactory response, so she recently reported the crimes to the Dutch police. The Dutch FA said: “At the KNVB, we are amazed by the experiences of recent times, which Vera Pauw told us in a conversation last year.”
An independent investigation “showed that the KNVB should have approached several issues differently”.
It found that POW was subject to errors and hurtful remarks from Dutch FA staff and that the KNVB did not respond adequately to Vera’s earlier “first signs in 2011 about sexual harassment behaviour” or did not have the correct policies.
In another 2017 conversation about Pow’s experiences, it said that she “categorically” asked him not to take any action.
Pow said: “That [going to the police] already looks like the beginning of the end, but I know there will be more pain in the coming times. Stories of my horrific ordeal appear in the Dutch media, And I know claims can be made against me for trying to sabotage my story,” she said.
She says she hopes others with such experiences “now feel brave enough to come forward and share their stories”.
His statement also called for “what is left in my privacy” and thanked the Football Association of Ireland for its support.
“I have always felt safe and continue to feel safe and supported in Ireland, and I cannot tell you how good that feels,” she said.
“This is who I am; I don’t have to hide anymore. I hope I can continue my life in freedom.”
An FAI statement read: “The FAI has offered her all the backing she may need on a personal and professional level.
“The FAI is aware of the impact these revelations will have on Vera’s well-being and have assured her of the ongoing full support of the FAI board and all her colleagues at the association.”