Vera Pauw, the head coach of the Republic of Ireland women’s team, said her players “feared for their bodies” in their abandoned World Cup warm-up match against Colombia. The 60-year-old was also shocked by the angry response from their opponents in the wake of the behind-closed-doors fixture.
In an interview in Brisbane with Off The Ball, Pauw said what was happening on the field was “outside the rules of the game”. She added: “We do not fear any physical contact, you know that, we are ourselves a team that, within the rules of the game, we are a very tough playing team.”
