Taking the fun out of football.
That's what one under 17s player told 1 NEWS about the national football camps she's attended since Andreas Heraf took over as New Zealand Football's technical director.
Teenage footballer Maya Hahn was recently selected for the NZ U17s women's squad but her experiences at national camps since Heraf took charge have hardly been glowing.
Maya's father, Peter, says concerns about the on-leave manager aren't just in the Football Ferns (who Heraf coaches).
"There were 2 camps, I understand, after Andreas took over and those camps, [Maya] literally says it was like a switch. Things have changed."
Heraf is currently on "special leave" from his roles at NZF with an investigation was launched following 13 written complaints from Football Ferns players about his behaviour and the negative team environment he had created since taking over the team.
Maya says the camps she has attended so far have employed similar tactics to those seen in the ultra-defensive Football Ferns display against Japan earlier this month which brought widespread criticism to Heraf.
Declan Edge, the academy director at Ole Football where Maya plays, says the fact top young talent is now speaking out too is a worrying sign.
"Maya is good, she's a good player. That's the worrying bit, Andreas and NZF were allowed, unbelievably, to continue to threaten players, and threaten coaches, staff and individuals," he said.
"And they had to do it the way he wanted to do it, that's pretty sad."
Maya's father says the review into Heraf and NZF could influence his daughter's desire to play in the national setup.
"The fact that she discusses this with us shows you how she feels about the whole situation.
"Of course, she would grab the opportunity with both hands to represent NZ. And now she thinks and talks about, 'what if?'."
Next April, Maya will take up a four-year scholarship at one of America's leading universities - against the advice of Heraf.
"The one thing that is important to her and has always been the number one thing - the fun in the football, and that suffered."
NZF today said they're working out the terms of an inquiry and they won't be making any comment until that review is completed.
The Hahns say they hold no grudges against NZF or Heraf and Maya hopes to play for the Football Ferns one day.
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