14 years later and we’re still talking about it.
The bust-up between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy before the 2002 World Cup remains the most controversial incident in Irish sporting history.
Keane was the captain of Manchester United and the Republic of Ireland, the driving force behind the team reaching the competition in the South Korea and Japan and one of the best players in the world at the time.
He and Ireland manager Mick McCarthy had never seen eye-to-eye, and Keane’s frustrations over the facilities in Ireland’s pre-tournament base on Saipan boiled over into an almighty dispute between the two men.
Keane left the squad before the tournament, or was sent home, depending on the account, and as the world’s media descended on his home, Ireland went on to reach the last-16.
The incident has become embedded in Irish popular culture, and even acted as the inspiration for a musical.
It appeared as though almost every detail from the event has been covered, particularly by Keane in his two autobiographies, but his former teammate Jason McAteer has shed some new light on the incident.
The former Ireland and Liverpool midfielder has a book of his own coming out, and it is being serialised in The Sunday Independent.
In Sunday’s newspaper, McAteer reveals, following the argument between Mick and Roy in the team meeting, he went to Keane’s room to confront his teammate about his actions.
And to ask for his DVDs back.
“I want to have it out with Roy,” McAteer writes.
“I do go to his room with the idea of getting back some DVDs I’d lent him but my real motive is to see if Roy is really serious about going home.”
However, Keane was in no mood to chat and was speaking with physio Mick Byrne, so McAteer didn’t get far.
“Now we have a World Cup to play without one of the best midfielders in the world. And no DVDs!”
McAteer also claims that the Ireland squad found out before they left for Asia that some members of the England squad were taking bets on whether Keane would storm out before the tournament began.
Via Cormac Burke.Catch up on the first episode of Football Friday Live…
