Keane's RTE interview - the transcript

Roy Keane last night claimed ‘‘maybe there is a way’’ he could still play in the World Cup but added the decision about whether he would rejoin the Republic of Ireland squad was not up to him.

Here is a transcript of the interview, carried out on RTE with Tommie Gorman.

TG: I want you to put in context the reasons for your row. Was it bad blood between you and Mick McCarthy, was it something deeper or was it because you were unhappy with the preparations of the Irish team for the World Cup and you always strive for perfection.

RK: There were a lot of things. A lot’s been said over the last few days but I’m not here to get anybody on my side. I think it’s important that people know the truth.

The final straw was when I was accused of being disloyal, faking injury and going against my team-mates, in front of everybody, and I wouldn’t accept it. I still don’t accept that.

TG: That was the final straw but what happened before that because the impression we have was of someone who had flown over there, was looking to train hard and who was preparing for the World Cup, was looking forward to doing well at the World Cup and just felt that the training wasn’t going well. Is that the case?

RK: Yeah, well, from day one when we got over there ... Okay the travelling was long but you accept these things, don’t get me wrong.

The first night we got there, there was an evening meal and Mick got Martin, the doctor, to speak about being careful of the sun, sunblock, of course and what drinks to drink. And when he was talking about the drinks to take he said: ‘They’re not here yet.’

And he continued and I was thinking, ‘they’re not here yet?’ Then Mick came back in and said the training kit hadn’t arrived and the training pitch wasn’t as good as he had thought. And as soon Mick said that I thought ‘it must be bad’.

There were no balls, of course and he felt DHL had let him down; they should have been there on the Thursday or the Friday and I think this was on the Saturday or the Sunday evening when we got there and I couldn’t believe it.

That’s not being a primadonna, that’s not being pig-headed, it’s just being honest.

We’re preparing for the World Cup finals and I was disappointed straight away with that. I remember as I walked outside with a few of the players there was a bit of a laugh and a joke about it but when I got to my room I couldn’t understand it, I couldn’t.

So I went to Mick McCarthy’s room that night, about half an hour later that and I asked him. I said: ‘Mick, what’s going on, I can’t believe it.’

He said: ‘Roy, you know, the skips should have been here last Friday.’

But I said: ‘They should have been here two weeks ago, so there wouldn’t have been any doubt.’ And I said the training pitch must be bad if you say it’s bad and he said: ‘Oh well, somebody let me down, they said there was going to be a decent training pitch.’

And I asked him: ‘You trusted someone to guarantee you a decent training pitch and there’s not even a football pitch on the island?’ I said: ‘I’m disappointed with it,’ and I left it at that.

And he understood my feelings because I had the same problems a few years ago after a couple of years when Mick was the manager and I was disappointed with certain things.

I arranged to meet Mick and he came to my house and we discussed these things and he agreed with me that we needed to improve in all aspects; whether they be travelling arrangements, the training pitch, everything.

And this was the first day we got there and I thought if this is the way things are going to go then what chance have we got? The next day we were ready to go training but there was no point in bringing any boots because there were no footballs.

There was no training kit, we had to wear the casual gear we were wearing around the hotel. I went off for a stretch in the physio’s room and even some of the medical gear wasn’t there.

Some of the lads couldn’t have strappings. And again a lot of it was a laugh and a joke; it’s quite funny sometimes. The lads had no strappings and Jason McAteer was saying they could use toilet roll. And I was laughing as well but deep down I thought: ‘This is not right.’ I was fuming to be honest.

And of course when we went training and we got to the training pitch and the pitch was a disgrace, an absolute disgrace. And if anybody who’s been there and says any different they’re just not in the real world.

And even after training I was talking to one of the liaison officers who was looking after the team and I said to him: ‘Will they be able, maybe, to water the pitch for tomorrow?’

And he said: ‘Oh probably but to be fair we weren’t expecting you today.’ I said: ‘You must have known we were coming.’ And he said: ‘Oh no, nobody told us you were coming down.’ That was the start of it and I thought: ‘Here we go.’

TG: But did you have support for that kind of approach from the other players, because they’re also professional footballers looking to do well in the World Cup.

RK: They were all saying the same thing, all the players. You’re captain for a reason. I made a point to Mick the first night and I said: ‘It’s not good enough, Mick.’ The players were ... it’s a bit of a laugh and a joke and I accept that.

But when we got there it was so dangerous and I said when we got there ‘there’s going to be injuries’ and of course, three days later there were three injuries and it didn’t surprise me one bit.

TG: You threatened to leave, you wanted to come home, that was sorted out. And then you had this bust-up. And you were obviously very angry that you had this bust-up, in public as it were, in front of the other squad members.

RK: Without a doubt. On the Tuesday after I told Mick I was leaving for personal reasons because I didn’t really want to tell him I’d had enough of playing for him. I really had.

Because when we trained on the Tuesday again ... anyway, that’s the tip of the iceberg , I said I needed to go home. Again that was supposed to have been a private conversation.

We spoke to Eddie Corcoran who was going to organise the flights and they promised it wouldn’t go beyond the three of us. But an hour or two later I met Alan Kelly and he said: ‘You’re going home.’

But to be fair during the night things were sorted out on that front. Mick was disappointed because he felt I’d put him in an awkward position and to be fair he had rang Colin Healy. I said to him I was sorry about that.

I felt bad for Colin and I said to Mick ‘look, I’ll go home’. And those were my last words to Mick. I said ‘leave it, don’t ring him back’.

Then the first thing in the morning Mick Byrne came to see me and he said ‘you’ve got three minutes to make up your mind’. So I said I would stay. I think Mick was put under pressure from the FAI. I was speaking to my solicitor and I spoke to Alex Ferguson during the night and they told me to stick it out.

So from there on I felt Mick was disappointed. I felt entitled to change my mind and I did an hour later to try and give Mick the chance but he said he’d already spoken to Colin Healy on his mobile at 8.30 in the morning. I said to him: ‘By your body language you don’t really want me here.’

And he said: ‘You’ve put me in an awkward position here, I wish you’d have thought it all out.’ And I went: ‘I feel quite embarrassed by it all anyway and I’ve decided to stick it out.’ He left my room and I followed him down and knocked on the door and Mick Byrne answered the door.

And I said to Mick: ‘Leave it, I’m going home.’ And that was when the next morning Mick Byrne came and said I had three minutes to make my mind up. So that was that.

On the Monday we got over there I had promised Tom Humphries and Paul Kimmage two reporters who I would have some sort of respect for that I would speak to them on the Wednesday.

I wasn’t due to do a press conference with all the other press until the Friday but I told these two I would do it. Of course, on the Wednesday I told them all my disappointments and then Thursday morning Tom Humphries rang me at about 6.30, 7.00 in the morning.

But I was awake anyway, we were all waking up quite early. He said he would like to go through the piece with me because it was going to print in a few hours. So I said ‘okay’ and I met him downstairs at about 8am and I said it was fine, no problems, and it went to print in the (Irish) Times on Thursday morning.

Then Thursday afternoon, the storm clouds were gathering, I just knew it. No-one had spoken to me.

Even Mick Byrne, who I’ve been very close to in the Irish squad, had it in his body language. And I said ‘look Mick I understand, you have to be loyal to Mick (McCarthy)’.

He said: ‘I’ve known you a long time but I said you need stick with Mick.’ I went for my meal at 6.30 and I was told there was a meeting at 7.30 and I knew what it was all about, I knew.’’

TG: But do you see from Mick McCarthy’s point of view that this was a challenge to him. You were the team captain, he was the manager and here was this article in the paper okay maybe he made a mistake by bringing it into public but.

RK: The article in the paper was fine. If anybody reads it, it’s fine.

TG: You don’t think it might have undermined the morale of the other players?

RK: It was fine, it’s fine, anybody who read the piece ... I questioned the training facilities, which I’d said to Mick. And that was about it.

TG: That was your view and you had your discussion with him, you had this angry exchange.

RK: It was more than an angry exchange. There was the meeting at 7.30 and I knew what it was about.

He had a piece of paper in his hand and I knew it was the interview. He went on to say some people are disappointed and I’m sitting there thinking ‘Roy, just stay calm’ because I’d said I’d stick it out and I knew the next day we were going to a different place and better training facilities.

Players had spoken to me, all the players, I’d spoken to Steve Finnan before that and I said to him during the meal ‘how’s your ankle’ and he said: ‘Lucky I was walking, if I was running I would have broken it, no doubts about it.’

And the other players had said to me they’d not done enough training, because a few of them play in the First Division, which finished four or five weeks ago, and two players off the top of my head said to me ‘we’ve not done enough in four weeks’.

I know we went over there for a relaxing trip, I appreciate that. I’ve had more nights out than anybody and that’s great. A few of the lads were telling me some of the stories. I don’t mind that, players need to let off a bit of steam, I accept that.

But on other hand if you’re going over to work then let’s work for that one hour a day. That’s not asking too much.

There’s all sorts going on saying I gave people hell. I don’t give people hell, I tell the truth and they think it’s hell. It’s as straightforward as that.

At the meeting Mick started on about how some people weren’t happy with certain things. ‘I picked this land’, he was talking about, ‘I picked the training pitch’ and I interrupted him and said ‘Mick, we should have done this in private like we did the other night, just get to the point’.

He said ‘okay, you’re not happy with certain things and I said I told you that I’m not happy with certain things’.

TG: Do you accept that the language used wasn’t very nice. Alex Ferguson has used expletives in his time and I know Mick McCarthy has done, but would accept that it’s not the kind of language one expects from a leader of men.

RK: This was a private team meeting. I didn’t call the press conference 15 minutes after the team meeting. I didn’t go on and say what apparently people were saying.

TG: But what about the language itself. Do you accept that it wasn’t very complimentary to Mick McCarthy and he was justified in feeling hurt by it?

RK: Justified in questioning my loyalty to my country? With the lads in front of us saying that in the Iran match I faked an injury?

He knew I wasn’t right. He spoke to Alex Ferguson on that Sunday morning, I hadn’t played for three and a half weeks. I reported, played on the Saturday, we won 2-0 and the manager said that’s a positive result. I hadn’t played for three and a half weeks and it wouldn’t be good for my knee (to play again in Iran).

That was the medical advice I had. Mick Byrne the physio came to my room that Saturday night and I told him it was a little bit sore.

Then Sunday morning Alex Ferguson rang me and Mick (McCarthy) was there and I said look the manager (Ferguson) wants me to go back because he classes 2-0 as a good result and Mick said: ‘Roy, thanks for coming over, we knew you weren’t quite right.’ He said that to me.

And I said to him at the meeting ‘You’re a liar’ I was still trying to stay calm at this stage but I’m not going to accept that. Not in front of my team-mates and the staff. I will not accept it.

TG: Will you accept that if there was wrong on his side, then the language you used to him, you were wrong, you went in too hard.

RK: If I felt for one second I was a little bit out of order then I would apologise and I would go back. I’d love to play in the World Cup. But I am 100% right. And that’s not being arrogant or cocky.

The last few days, it’s been hard, of course it has been. Everyone wants to play in the World Cup but the things that went on in that room, people knew they weren’t happy with the conditions; senior players agreed with me. They could have had their say and they just sat there.

And I walked out of that room and I walked out on my international career and not one person backed me up, not one.

TG: Does that not make you suspect that maybe, in the language you used, you were wrong. That’s not the kind of language for children to be hearing about. You’re a role model.

RK: It was a private meeting amongst men. These things aren’t supposed to go out. That’s why I went to Mick’s room on the Sunday night and I discussed with it with him.

Mick was the one who called it in front of everyone else and said I’d turned my back on the players, that I faked a injury not to go off to Iran when he knew damn well I wasn’t right.

And he’s supposed to be a man-manager? So of course there was going to be language.

I wasn’t going to say ‘excuse me Mick, I think you’re a bit out of order’. Of course you’re going to use language. I said things to Mick and I’m 100% behind what I said.

TG: Were you sorry about the way you said it? It’s not a sign of weakness to say you’re sorry.

RK: I agree with you. No matter what you do in life you make decisions. Whether it’s moving house or moving jobs, getting your haircut, buying a pair of shoes. You might have some doubts, did I do the right thing? But the last few days, there’s not one doubt in my mind where I stand, not one doubt and that’s good enough for me.

TG: How about Mick McCarthy. In Ireland there’s a view that he’s an honest man, that he’s a decent man, that as a footballer he was always honest and he always did his best. Do you go along with that view?

RK: Mick had a decent career and he’s done very well. Personally I wouldn’t know Mick that well. All I know is the dealings I’ve had with him and to be fair to Mick he’s been very understanding with friendly matches and coming in a couple of days late for certain matches.

There’s been one or two games where he’s let me go home for one or two days when we’ve had back-to-back matches and he’s been very understanding. But all that came to an end the other night.

TG: But do you respect him. Do you recognise that during the course of his career that when he put his foot in that he was doing his best for Ireland?

RK: Of course. I grew up watching him playing for Ireland and he did very well playing for Ireland, like a lot of other players.

TG: And do you think he was doing his best as a manager?

RK: No. I think he was at fault but that’s my opinion and football’s all about opinions. That’s what makes it a great game; why you get people in the pubs, everywhere you go, it’s all about opinions and I accept that. But I’m entitled to my opinion.

TG: But I’m talking about his integrity and his sincerity in trying to do his best because the view that most Irish people have is that he does his best.

RK: He probably does do his best.

TG: Sometimes in life it can be very ironic because it’s said that one of the first rows you had with him was when you were a younger man and when he bawled you out of it because you went out late. And do you not see the irony of you crossing swords with McCarthy because some of the younger players were going out at night and some of them might be taking things too lax?

RK: Players need to go out and enjoy themselves. I had them coming in, six, seven in the morning. It was a great laugh and some of them told me all about it. Good luck to them, I haven’t got a problem with that.

People say I’m a loner and I lock myself away in my room. I think I’m very approachable. A lot of the Irish lads approach me and talk to me and I’m always willing to give advice. Like I’ve said, I’ve had my nights out, but I was getting ready for a World Cup. If that’s what they want to do good luck to them. I haven’t got a problem with them one bit.

There was a barbecue arranged for Monday night with the press. That’s not my scene and said this to Mick. There’s people in the press I’ve had my disagreements with over the years and I felt I didn’t really want to go, but I went. Mick said to us that he wanted the press on our side but I couldn’t understand it. But I went and then I went to bed about nine, 10pm and the lads went out and they had a great night. Good luck to them.

TG: There’s this very soft side to you, I saw your kids waiting at the window for you and they were delighted to see you home. What about all the little kids in Ireland who have you as a role model, who love you, who’d love to see you back in the World Cup and who are absolutely appalled that this row has taken place and don’t know what to say?

RK: Exactly, do you think I’ve enjoyed the last few days? It’s been hard, of course it has. I’d love to play in the World cup. It was fantastic eight long years ago and I’ve done no more, no less than the other lads in the squad to get us back. I would love to play, course I would.

TG: And everyone in the country, from the Taoiseach down, would love to see this resolved. You know there are 13, 14 year-olds who tell their parents I don’t want to play football any more I’m depressed.

Kids who wear your name on their jerseys, who are absolutely haunted, who don’t know what to make of it.

RK: That will pass, people have to get on with their lives you know. It’s a football tournament. My loyalty was questioned, I was called a liar in front of a group of people and then there was more.

As I said I didn’t realise there was a press conference held within half an hour, maybe less (of the meeting). I know about the kids in Ireland, of course I do, I feel bad for them myself. I want to go back to Ireland, I’ve got my family over there.

But I had to stand up for what I believe in. I live and die by my actions and I will continue to do so. I tell my kids what’s right and wrong but what happened to me was wrong.

TG: But you are an Irishman. You know the country we live in. You know in the north they’ve been at each others throats for years and years. They’ve made compromises, shaken hands and here we have our football team, destroyed by division.

Is there no way Mick McCarthy and the Irish footballers can get together and show people that they can do the same? Or is that alien to you guys?

RK: It’s not. As I said, since I got back home the other day, if for one second I thought, ‘Roy, maybe, just maybe, you were a little bit out of order, or maybe there’s a way back,’ I’d be back on that flight.

No doubts about that. But I went to my room and we had three players in a press conference within half an hour of it (the meeting) saying they were behind Mick when we’d all spoken about it. People talk about them as role models. They’re cowards.

TG: In football the guy who pulls out of a tackle, the guy who compromises is seen as weak. But in life, sometimes it’s the guy who compromises who gains strength from that.

RK: I agree with you 100% . Life’s too short. But if I went back I couldn’t give 100%. Under what circumstances? Players turning round and saying they’ve never heard anything like that in their lives. I expect them to stick together, it’s a squad and they’re all backing Mick. But that’s not what they said when they spoke to me.

They had their chance to speak up but they didn’t. Nobody wants this. There’s people all over the world killing each other and nobody wants this. But I have to stand up for what I believe in and I will continue to do so. I’ve had thousands of arguments with people. I row with team-mates at United all the time. It’s soon forgotten about.

But when I got back to my room, two players came. Ian Harte came to say goodbye, fair play to him, then Jason McAteer.

Niall Quinn and Steve Staunton came but at the time I didn’t know they’d been to a press conference and they said they thought I went too far. I said I respected their opinions but I was sticking to my guns.

Alan Kelly came and said he’d been to a press conference but I actually thought he meant that morning. I thought they couldn’t have had enough time. But when explained they’d had a press conference straight away I could believe it.

Then two players came to my room. They said: ‘We respected everything you said Roy, but we want to play in the World Cup.’ I said: ‘Thanks, I appreciate your honesty.’ And they said ‘if it’s any consolation when you left the room Niall Quinn said ‘look lads we need to stick together, blah, blah, blah’ and there was a round of applause. But we didn’t clap’. I said, fair play to you lads but the damage is done.

The next morning I heard them all leaving. Mick Byrne came waking everybody up but of course I didn’t sleep too great. I’ve been involved with Ireland since I was 15, the 16s, youths, 21s, the senior team, and I heard them all leaving. Mick Byrne stuck his head round the door and said ‘we’re away’. I shook his hand and said good luck Mick.

But I felt I deserved better than that. I’ve known people in that squad a long time, staff as well. And when I walked out that room, that private meeting, I knew there was no going back. I’ve got my pride, I’ve got my principles and I won’t let anybody accuse me of these things. People said I questioned Mick not being Irish, which is nonsense, nonsense.

TG: But Roy there are signs up in shops all over the country saying ‘Come Back Roy’. The general election result was forgotten very quickly when this broke out. This is a huge talking point.

And I’m sure everyone from your family to the people who have supported you over the years would love to see you back. They’d love to see you make the gesture. They’d love to see Mick McCarthy make the gesture, They’d love to see the players make the gesture.

They would love to see the best representation of Ireland possible. And think that Ireland without you is not the country they want to follow, it’s not the team we want to support.

RK: I just hope the people get behind the team. I think that’s the most important thing. I spoke to my family. They were supposed to fly out but they are not now because they back me. I told them what happened. I might be a lot of things but I’m not a liar. I had to arrange my own flights back.

I waited in the room for two or three hours and nobody approached the room. Nobody from the FAI approached me so that’s why I rang United and asked them to book me a flight back.

No-one was in the room when I walked out and people had the opportunity to speak but they wouldn’t. I understand some of the younger players, obviously. It was a heated exchange, I know that. But some of the senior players knew the score but they let it all happen. When I walked out of the door that was the end of it. The ball’s not in my court any more.

I didn’t want to go through the media. I didn’t want to be doing this interview, I didn’t want to speak to the Mail over the weekend but I flew in on Saturday morning and my solicitor was there and he said ‘you need to say something because there is an imbalance about the story’.

And I heard some of the stuff that was coming out about me, about my wife and it just wasn’t true and I thought ‘I need to speak out’. That’s why I’m doing this interview. Because the people of Ireland deserve to know the truth.

People say I probably shouldn’t have reacted the way I did, but hindsight is a great thing. I’m human, I was forced into a corner, I really was, that’s my honest belief, and there was only one way I was going to come out fighting. There was only going to be one winner and that was Mick of course. I understand that, he’s the manager.

TG: We’re all losers in this, there’s no winners.

RK: No, I don’t think so. I think the team will do well they’ve got some good players.

TG: In 15 years time, are you going to look back and ask yourself what it was all about?

RK: There’s no doubt in my mind. My family got to see me, it was good to be home and I’ll probably go back to Cork next week. My conscience is clear. If there was any doubt in my mind that I had been a little bit out of order, I’d be back like a shot, but I won’t accept it. I can’t accept it.

TG: Is there a bit of you that says ‘forget about pride?’

RK: I’ve been doing that for years.

TG: Is there a chance of you doing it again?

RK: The ball’s not on my side of the court now.

TG: If Mick was prepared to bury the hatchet with you and the players wanted you back, what would you do?

RK: I really don’t know because I can’t see that happening. We’d have to see. I’d love to be back. I feel I’ve earned respect, that’s why I’m captain. But people weren’t in that room. I need to stand up for what I believe in.

TG: There is talk that some of the players want you back.

RK: They had their chance to speak. I think deep down they’re worried about their own reputations. Steve Staunton, Alan Kelly, Niall Quinn went to the press conference, they’re experienced players and they had their chance. They’re all retiring after the World Cup.

TG: Surely you can find a way of showing an example?

RK: Maybe, but it’s not in my hands and I’m standing firm for what I believe in. I try to live my life as honestly as I can. What happened to me last week was wrong. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. I felt I deserved better. Of course I lost my temper. People have made me out to be a loner, a monster, and it’s nonsense. The ball’s in other people’s courts. I want to play for Ireland - we will have to see. Probably yes. Maybe there is a way, who knows? The World Cup is the most important thing in my life, it really is. Nobody wants to play for Ireland as much as me. The ball is not in my court. If they take me back? I really don’t know, I can’t see it happening. We have to see I would love to play in the World Cup. It’s up to other people. I’d like to be back. But people weren’t in that room. As I said, I need to stand up for what I believe in. Nobody wanted this. Of course it’s hurting me all this - dead right it is. But my conscience is clear and that’s the most important thing in my life. It really is.