Roy Keane revisits Saipan: 'Regrets? None. I didn't lose a wink of sleep over it'

Keane has delved once more into the infamous training camp row that saw him miss the 2002 World Cup

Wed, 15 Nov, 2023 - 18:54

Larry Ryan

Mick McCarthy's close relationship with the Irish media was partly responsible for the Saipan fallout that led to Roy Keane missing the 2002 World Cup, Keane believes.

Keane has delved once more into the infamous training camp row on the Overlap's Stick To Football YouTube show, insisting he still has no regrets about his actions.

Though Keane now accepts it took "two to tango" in the breakdown of his relationship with the Ireland manager.

Probed by former teammate Gary Neville, Keane suggested he doesn't like to dwell on the episode too often.

"You want to be careful if you look back all the time. I could have done that definitely.

"The dynamics were.... the hang-ups I had with Ireland had been going on for many years. The way we prepared for games, with Jack (Charlton) and the drinking culture, it was changing a little bit, don't get me wrong. But I also embraced that. We're Irish and we do it our way, no problem

"But the frustration for me was our approach to matches, the training gear. Obviously it came to a head and the tipping point of course was the World Cup."

Ireland were saddled with a substandard training pitch for the pre-tournament camp in Saipan, while equipment failed to show up on time.

"I did show my frustration, which I would do. It doesn't mean to say I wouldn't turn up or do the business in a game.

"I still can't get my head around it. We qualified, obviously, months in advance. How we can turn up... If it happened with England, France, Germany and you turn up and there is no gear there. No footballs, no bibs, you'd be a laughing stock. For some reason with Ireland... I just had enough of it."

However, Keane believes the blow-up with McCarthy was partly due to the manager's close relationship with the Irish media, as well as McCarthy's accusation that Keane had ducked the second leg of Ireland's playoff win over Iran.

"I had my little kind of debate with Mick over there. I said this was unacceptable, all very calm. That's not the issue.

"The issue is when there was a meeting called a couple of days later and I was questioned about missing a game, the playoff game.

"Basically, I was told you could have played in that game. I was injured. Of course, I was injured.

"We've all missed matches and we all have guilt. Sometimes, for missing games, you think, could I have played.

"We've all played games we shouldn't have played, I've taken a chance on an injury.

"Why someone would be throwing that at me on the eve of the World Cup... if they had issues with me about my commitment, shall we say, why not bring it up a month earlier?

"There were media commitments and I said one or two things I wasn't happy with and Mick was frustrated I suppose about one or two aspects of things I said

"Mick was very much in bed with a lot of the Irish media which is fine. That's another story. These same guys writing stuff about me, Mick was enjoying their company and writing books with them.

"I'd been asked by a reporter did I respect Mick. And I said no I didn't. But I told the reporter that was private and that's it, but word got back to Mick.

"Then in this team meeting, Mick was talking about... you don't respect me. And I said 'I don't respect you'. But this was after the accusations.

"I just didn't respect him. But it doesn't mean I wasn't going to.. we'd qualified out of a tough group.

"This idea that managers say you don't respect me you won't play...

"I didn't respect (Alex) Ferguson at the end (of his time at Manchester United), but it doesn't mean I wasn't going to try.

"I said, well I'm not playing for you. I'm playing for my country. Very simple. But he said 'if you don't respect me how can you play for me'. And I said, 'alright I won't'.

"You can stick your World Cup. I have no regrets about it.

"You are a senior player and someone pulled me, and it happened eventually at United, and questioned my commitment to the cause. The manager pulled me in front of the group and questioned me. And then talk about respect.

"I have been playing for Ireland since I was 14 years of age. Don't you go on an ego trip thinking I'm here to play for you. I'm here to play for my country."

Neville suggested Keane had dramatically changed his own approach to preparation by then, avoiding alcohol and maintaining an extremely low body fat, becoming, Neville suggested "an obsessed professional". But Keane dismissed the idea this had anything to do with the fallout.

"I never went down the road of questioning what everyone else was doing. Just because I'd done my cruciate and thought I better start looking after my body more

"It doesn't mean I wouldn't go out or sit there and start judging people for having a few pints. Far from it."

Keane also revisited the infamous 'Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink isn't having a cheese sandwich' drama, from the night before Ireland played the Netherlands in Amsterdam during that World Cup campaign.

"The preparation for Ireland. It might still be like that now, it might not be 100 per cent professional. I never wanted it to be perfect. But what I did want from the group of people I was working with was progress.

"When Mick McCarthy got the job, I met Mick. He came to my house in Manchester. I said we needed to do things properly. I just meant things like the food, we had to get it right.

"I remember we played Holland away and we had a training session at the stadium. It's hard to qualify. We came back to the hotel after training and there was no food for the players,

"I remember going over to Mick and the staff. the night before the match. And one of the staff said 'you should have asked for it'. I said I've asked for it for a couple of years. There were all those battles going on.

"Sometimes I'd go with the flow. I was proud to play for my country. When you are 28, 29, 30 you have to take responsibility and say this is unacceptable."

Keane suggests there had never been any rapport between him and McCarthy, even during their brief spell together as Ireland teammates.

"When I got into the international senior squad, when I first got called up, some players would make an effort for you and some wouldn't.

"Mick wouldn't have made any effort for me, but Mick wasn't the only one, I was fine with that.

"He was an experienced player.

"You probably only had two or three training sessions before a game and most of the time you were in your hotel room.

"So there was no building relationships back then. You only built relationships the longer you played with lads and I think Mick would have retired pretty quickly after I got involved anyway.

"So there was no rapport, or certainly getting on with Mick. Absolutely not, I was just a young player.

"I know it takes two to tango and I could sit in front of Mick now and say this is my point. And he might say you were causing me problems. But ultimately, I was there to help the team and I think I was doing that.

"Regrets? None. I didn't lose a wink of sleep over it.

"When you come back, it's more upsetting for the people around you. They take the hit, my parents."