Dunphy: 'Keane is bullsh***ing'

Eamon Dunphy has disputed Roy Keane’s version of the English FA’s hearing over Keane’s tackle on Alf-Inge Haaland.

In his new biography ‘The Second Half’ Keane claims Dunphy’s testimony was partially responsible for the guilty finding and five-match ban he was handed in 2002.

The hearing was established to investigate whether Keane’s tackle on Man City player Haaland in 2001 was “improperly motivated by an element of revenge”. It was triggered by the description of the incident in Keane’s first biography, published in 2002 and written by Dunphy.

Dunphy was one of the witnesses called and Keane now suggests his testimony was a major factor in the guilty verdict.

“(Hearing Chairman) Jim Sturman asked him, ‘Mr Dunphy, do you think Mr Keane intentionally went to injure a fellow professional, Mr Haaland?’

“And Eamon’s three words back to Sturman were, ‘without a doubt.’ That was my case, my defence, out the window. I looked at him and thought, ‘I’m definitely f****d now.’

Keane suggested that Dunphy was more concerned with his own reputation.

“I think he might have thought that his account in the book was on trial; he just wanted to get it over and get out of there.

“I’m not blaming Eamon but he definitely didn’t help.”

But in today’s Irish Daily Star Dunphy has dismissed Keane’s version of events as ‘bullshit’.

“Keane is bullshitting. He knows this isn’t true,” said Dunphy. “Remember, the tackle was being repeated on a video screen at the hearing over and over. Anyone who saw the tackle could see the intent in the challenge.

“It doesn’t make sense to say that Keane might have got off if I’d told the chairman of the hearing that he didn’t mean it. It was obvious that he meant it.”

Dunphy is adamant he was there to support Keane: ”Far from not wanting to be there. I was very anxious to help.”