Former Netherlands footballer Vera Pauw reveals sexual abuse

NEW DELHI: Former Netherlands international Vera Pauw said on Friday she was sexually abused by three men employed within Dutch football when she was a player, which she has recently reported to the police feeling that she got no support from the Dutch FA (KNVB).

The 59-year-old Pauw, who is now the Ireland women's national team coach, played for the Netherlands from 1984-1998. She then began her coaching career with Scotland women's team, moving to coach the Netherlands in 2004 for six years.

"For 35 years I have kept a secret from the world, from my family, from my team mates... and, I can now accept, from myself," Pauw wrote in a statement published on Twitter.

"Even those closest to me have not known of the rape I endured at the hands of a prominent football official when I was a young player. Later two sexual assaults by two other men were added to this record."

All three men were employed within Dutch football at the time of the incidents, Pauw said. Agencies

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