Kenny Shiels has left his role as Northern Ireland women’s manager.
It comes after Sky Sports News revealed Shiels and Northern Ireland were negotiating his departure and follows a hugely successful spell that saw Shiels and the players make history by qualifying for a first major tournament.
Northern Ireland reached the Euro 2022 finals in England last summer. Although they were knocked out at the group stage, it was considered a watershed moment for the national team and women’s football in the country.
Shiels departs despite having one year remaining on his contract.
He said: “I have enjoyed my time as senior women’s manager immensely. I have worked hard with the players to raise their expectations and change their style of play so that we were a team to be reckoned with.
“This success has generated record attendance figures at senior women’s games and I was delighted to see so many of the Green and White Army travel to England to cheer us on last summer at the Euros.
“I want to thank everyone who has backed me, and the team, during my time as manager.”
Irish FA CEO Patrick Nelson said: “Kenny’s impact on the women’s and girls’ game in Northern Ireland has been transformative. Securing that historic qualification to the Euros is forever etched in Irish FA history.
“We thank Kenny for his contribution to this and the success of the senior women’s team in recent years.”
Shiels’ time at Northern Ireland was not free from controversy.
After a 5-0 defeat to England in April 2022, he attracted criticism for saying women are more “emotional than men” and do not react well to going behind in games after Northern Ireland conceded four goals in 27 second-half minutes.
He said: “I thought they were struggling a wee bit at times to open us up until the psychology of going two up. In the women’s game, you’ll have noticed if you go through the patterns, when a team concedes a goal they concede a second one within a very short period of time.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
“Right through the whole spectrum of the women’s game, because girls and women are more emotional than men, so they take a goal going in not very well.
“So if you watch, if you go through the stats – which journalists love to do – go through stats and you’ll see teams conceding goals in 18 and 21 minutes, and then in 64 and 68 minutes. They group them because that is an emotional goal.
“We conceded in 48, with three in seven minutes or three in nine on Friday [in a 3-1 defeat to Austria]. We were conscious of that when we went 1-0 down, we killed the game and tried to just slow it right to give them time to get that emotional imbalance out of their head.
“And that’s an issue that we have – not just Northern Ireland – but all the countries have that problem.
“I shouldn’t have told you that.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The 65-year-old apologised for his comments following a meeting with the Irish FA, while captain Marissa Callaghan issued a statement in which she said the squad “collectively stand by our manager” and explained his comments were in relation to a pre-match meeting where the team’s habit of conceding goals in quick succession was discussed.
Northern Ireland’s director of women’s football, Angela Platt, also backed Shiels after his comments, telling Sky Sports News: “We met with Kenny as soon as we could after the game, and that occurred yesterday morning. That was a full and frank conversation.
“Kenny has apologised for those comments and we accept that apology.”
When asked if she felt Shiels’ contrition drew a line under the matter, Platt said: “Yes, he has clearly been open and honest with us in terms of the intent of those comments. He meant no offence.”