Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane’s famous rift at the 2002 World Cup is made into a movie – former manager reveals his feelings for captain
The feud between Mick McCarthy and Roy Keene is being made into a movie (Image: Aidan MonaghanAll Rights Reserved)
Mick McCarthy has labeled Roy Keane a “shithole” and their feud from 2002 is back in the headlines after a new film depicting their rift at the World Cup.
At the time, McCarthy was manager of the Republic of Ireland, captained by Keane, but the pair were embroiled in a bitter falling out which resulted in the Manchester United legend returning home early from tournaments in Japan and South Korea.
Their story stars Steve Coogan as McCarthy and Yanna Hardwick as Keene. The story takes place on the island of Saipan, where Keane was indignant at Ireland’s training camp. The equipment was so poor that the team arrived without a soccer ball, but the Irish captain at the time did not resist.
The tournament ended with Ireland losing to Spain in the last 16 on penalties and Keane withdrawing from the World Cup midway through. Speaking at an event hosted by The Sun, Mr McCarthy was unimpressed with Mr Coogan’s portrayal and made no secret of his feelings towards Mr Keene.
He said, “24 years, what was that? And I still get asked about that a lot. I mean, I do Q&As, and the last time I did one, I was asked about Keene.
read more: Manchester United commit J.J. Gabriel to first team after undeniable impact at youth levelread more: Roy Keane names Michael Carrick as Manchester United manager after his abusive behavior comes to light
“I said, ‘He’s a great player, a great captain, a club captain and what he’s done everywhere he’s been is amazing.’ I said, ‘Great goalscorer’ and everyone was looking at me and I said, ‘I’m talking about[former Ireland teammate]Robbie[Keane]not that bloke.’
Mr Keane made the remarks shortly after Ireland’s World Cup qualification was ruled out, but insisted the complaints were not an overreaction. Instead, he pointed to major problems with the training facilities as well as logistics, as he felt his standards were not being met.
Roy Keane to leave World Cup after falling out with manager (Image: PA)
“No? You’ve seen the practice range, but I’m not a prima donna. It’s a combination of the practice range, the travel arrangements, going through the bloody airport on departure. I’ll never say ‘this is the reason, this is the reason,’ but enough is enough.”
Keane added: “I’m here to do well and I want everyone around me to do well too. There’s no point if you don’t feel like everyone wants the same thing. It’s been going on for a while. It’s all true that we’re away, just like every other footballer. Maybe I should accept that, but enough is enough. I’m banging my head against a brick wall on some issues with this trip.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
