Macari blasts 'foolish' Keane

Manchester United legend Lou Macari branded disgraced skipper Roy Keane “foolish” for getting involved in the fracas which led to his latest red card shame.

Keane was dismissed in the final minute of yesterday’s 1-1 draw with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light after appearing to catch Jason McAteer in the head with his elbow.

Referee Uriah Rennie, who had already intervened to prevent one flare-up between Keane and his former Republic of Ireland team-mate, was perfectly placed and had no hesitation in sending the United player off for the 10th time in his United career.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson immediately indicated the Old Trafford club would appeal against the decision, claiming McAteer had “gone down as though he had been shot”.

He also suggested Rennie had handled the situation badly and would be making a critical assessment of his performance in his match report.

The showdown came just days after the publication of his controversial autobiography, which is likely to prompt a Football Association disrepute charge later this week following his admission he deliberately set out to injure Alfie Haaland during last year’s Manchester derby.

Following on from his much-publicised walk-out from the Irish World Cup party this summer, Keane has also stirred that argument by claiming today that as far as he is concerned, current national boss Mick McCarthy can “rot in hell”.

Having also raised the ire of team-mate Phil Neville by shoving the England full-back back into position after he had conceded a free-kick, Keane’s dismissal is hardly helping to restore an air of calm over his career.

“You can’t afford to lift an elbow,” said Macari in his review of the game for MUTV. “It is difficult to say how much contact there was but he was foolish showing intent.

“He was the dominant player in midfield but one moment of madness has cost him dearly. The referee was in a good position and he prevented something happening earlier when he jumped up.”

Keane had reacted badly when he was hacked down by McAteer on the halfway line.

Rennie immediately blocked Keane’s attempts from trying to reach the Sunderland player, with David Beckham moving in swiftly to push his captain away from trouble.

However, the simmering resentment which had its origins in the Far East and was stoked further when McAteer said he would prefer to buy his three-year-old son a Bob the Builder CD rather than Keane’s book, reached boiling point when the Sunderland man walked away from yesterday’s initial fracas scribbling imaginary notes, taunting Keane by mouthing “put it in your book”.

Macari though insisted it was still no excuse for Keane to react the way he did.

“He knew what the Jason McAteer situation was. It isn’t something which has happened overnight and I thought he would have been craftier and got his revenge another way,” he said.

“If you get the chance to put in a really decent tackle you do it but when you are a marked man you have to put up with the aggravation.

“The book has become a monster and I can’t understand why he has written it. After a couple of years at the top these guys are multi-millionaires. Now he has left himself wide open to any kind of criticism.”

Unless United successfully appeal against the automatic three-match ban, Keane is now likely to miss vital Premiership encounters with Leeds, Tottenham and Charlton.

By that time, England duo Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt will probably both have returned from ankle and toe injuries respectively.

However, if either man has a set-back, it will leave Ferguson short on numbers in midfield at a time when his defensive options have already been stretched to breaking point.

Gary Neville and Wes Brown are certain to miss Tuesday’s encounter with Middlesbrough at Old Trafford, and if Mikael Silvestre fails to overcome the neck injury which forced his early departure yesterday, Ferguson will be forced to pitch John O’Shea in at right-back or, more likely, draft 19-year-old Irishman Paul Tierney in for his debut.