Brady plays down Keane tension

It may be six years since Roy Keane's Saipan World Cup walkout but the controversy that spawned a musical and divided a nation is still raising its head in FAI headquarters.

In his first press briefing as Republic of Ireland assistant boss Liam Brady has moved to smooth

over any simmering tensions with the Corkman who was quoted as saying the former Juventus and Arsenal star's involvement with Giovanni Trapattoni would be confined to a role of interpreter.

Brady believes comments he made about the former Republic and Manchester United captain

were at the root of Keane's jibe but the new Irish number two wants to draw a line under that now

as a new era dawns in the international game here.

Flanked by fellow backroom team member Marco Tardelli who spoke through an interpreter at

the FAI's Headquarters in Abbotstown this evening, the duo also went out of their way to emphasise

how keen they were to have Stephen Ireland involved in their plans, despite his somewhat

embarrassing excuse to opt out of international duty last year falsely maintaining that his grandmother had died.