‘Since I’ve come into the job, 80pc hasn’t been about football’ – Ireland boss Carla Ward rails against ‘outside noise’

‘Since I’ve come into the job, 80pc hasn’t been about football’ – Ireland boss Carla Ward rails against ‘outside noise’

Manager eager to keep focus on the field but says equal pay should be considered

Ireland head coach Carla Ward is preparing her team to face Belgium in a Nations League play-off this week. Photo: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

The elephant in the room arrived via email.

With almost (im)perfect timing, depending on one’s perspective, Carla Ward was delivering her response to a question about the thorny matter of equality in women’s football when somebody upstairs pressed send on the latest updated FAI Accounts.