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Saipan incident
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Saipan incident
The Saipan incident was a public quarrel in May 2002 between Republic of Ireland national football team's captain Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy when the team was preparing in Saipan for its matches in Japan in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. It resulted in Keane, a key player for the national team, being removed from the squad. The incident divided public opinion in Ireland regarding who was to blame.
Keane was the captain of the Irish national team. Since his senior debut under Jack Charlton and then-captain McCarthy, Keane had perceived problems with the preparations of the Irish side. He regarded the Football Association of Ireland (FAI)'s preparations as unprofessional and challenged both Charlton and McCarthy in a number of notable incidents.
Among Keane's issues with Irish management were the conditions of the camp, travel arrangements (which seated the players in business class seats on flights, while FAI officials sat in first class), strategy, expectations, diet, and McCarthy's competence as manager. In his autobiography, Keane said that before a World Cup qualifier away versus the Netherlands, the Irish players were eating cheese sandwiches because the more suitable pre-match meal of pasta was not available.
The island of Saipan was selected by an FAI delegation as an initial base. From management's perspective the time was considered a period of relative rest and recreation, at the end of a club season, and a precursor to moving to Japan to prepare for the tournament. Keane, on the other hand, who is reputed to have told Alex Ferguson that he was going to the World Cup "to win it", viewed it as a period of preparation for the World Cup finals. He therefore became dissatisfied when facilities and general preparation did not match his expectations. On 22 May, Keane decided he was going home but subsequently changed his mind and stayed.
Irish broadcaster RTÉ became aware of the developing row, as did several Irish newspapers. Because of its isolated location, there were certain stories circulating about the incidents, which were all critical of Keane. The Daily Star newspaper had been a harsh critic of Keane for months in the run up to the competition. This included making persistent allegations about Keane's commitment to the Irish team.
Keane had originally agreed to give an interview to sports journalist Paul Kimmage of the Sunday Independent. Kimmage then agreed to let Tom Humphries of The Irish Times join the interview, but made him promise not to print the article until after Kimmage's column on Sunday. Humphries reneged on the deal, stealing a major scoop for The Irish Times. In the article, Humphries listed the events and concerns which had led Keane to decide to leave the team. This article included details and references to the FAI's preparations for the Irish team. This indirectly implied that the event was organized as a junket for FAI officialdom. The article was seen as a direct affront to the authority of the Irish manager and the competence of the FAI.
The Irish Times article increased tensions greatly. McCarthy decided to question Keane about the article. In a team meeting McCarthy held up a copy of the article and asked "What's this all about?", and an argument started. McCarthy then accused Keane of faking injury when Ireland were playing Iran in the second leg of the play off. Keane then unleashed a stinging verbal tirade against McCarthy: "Mick, you're a liar … you're a fucking wanker. I didn't rate you as a player, I don't rate you as a manager, and I don't rate you as a person. You're a fucking wanker and you can stick your World Cup up your arse. The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow you are the manager of my country! You can stick it up your bollocks." Mick McCarthy then held a press conference announcing that he had sent Keane home.
Niall Quinn observed in his autobiography that "Roy Keane's 10-minute oration [against Mick McCarthy] ... was clinical, fierce, earth-shattering to the person on the end of it and it ultimately caused a huge controversy in Irish society." But at the same time, he was also critical of Keane's stance, saying that "[Keane] left us in Saipan, not the other way round. And he punished himself more than any of us by not coming back."
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Saipan incident
The Saipan incident was a public quarrel in May 2002 between Republic of Ireland national football team's captain Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy when the team was preparing in Saipan for its matches in Japan in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. It resulted in Keane, a key player for the national team, being removed from the squad. The incident divided public opinion in Ireland regarding who was to blame.
Keane was the captain of the Irish national team. Since his senior debut under Jack Charlton and then-captain McCarthy, Keane had perceived problems with the preparations of the Irish side. He regarded the Football Association of Ireland (FAI)'s preparations as unprofessional and challenged both Charlton and McCarthy in a number of notable incidents.
Among Keane's issues with Irish management were the conditions of the camp, travel arrangements (which seated the players in business class seats on flights, while FAI officials sat in first class), strategy, expectations, diet, and McCarthy's competence as manager. In his autobiography, Keane said that before a World Cup qualifier away versus the Netherlands, the Irish players were eating cheese sandwiches because the more suitable pre-match meal of pasta was not available.
The island of Saipan was selected by an FAI delegation as an initial base. From management's perspective the time was considered a period of relative rest and recreation, at the end of a club season, and a precursor to moving to Japan to prepare for the tournament. Keane, on the other hand, who is reputed to have told Alex Ferguson that he was going to the World Cup "to win it", viewed it as a period of preparation for the World Cup finals. He therefore became dissatisfied when facilities and general preparation did not match his expectations. On 22 May, Keane decided he was going home but subsequently changed his mind and stayed.
Irish broadcaster RTÉ became aware of the developing row, as did several Irish newspapers. Because of its isolated location, there were certain stories circulating about the incidents, which were all critical of Keane. The Daily Star newspaper had been a harsh critic of Keane for months in the run up to the competition. This included making persistent allegations about Keane's commitment to the Irish team.
Keane had originally agreed to give an interview to sports journalist Paul Kimmage of the Sunday Independent. Kimmage then agreed to let Tom Humphries of The Irish Times join the interview, but made him promise not to print the article until after Kimmage's column on Sunday. Humphries reneged on the deal, stealing a major scoop for The Irish Times. In the article, Humphries listed the events and concerns which had led Keane to decide to leave the team. This article included details and references to the FAI's preparations for the Irish team. This indirectly implied that the event was organized as a junket for FAI officialdom. The article was seen as a direct affront to the authority of the Irish manager and the competence of the FAI.
The Irish Times article increased tensions greatly. McCarthy decided to question Keane about the article. In a team meeting McCarthy held up a copy of the article and asked "What's this all about?", and an argument started. McCarthy then accused Keane of faking injury when Ireland were playing Iran in the second leg of the play off. Keane then unleashed a stinging verbal tirade against McCarthy: "Mick, you're a liar … you're a fucking wanker. I didn't rate you as a player, I don't rate you as a manager, and I don't rate you as a person. You're a fucking wanker and you can stick your World Cup up your arse. The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow you are the manager of my country! You can stick it up your bollocks." Mick McCarthy then held a press conference announcing that he had sent Keane home.
Niall Quinn observed in his autobiography that "Roy Keane's 10-minute oration [against Mick McCarthy] ... was clinical, fierce, earth-shattering to the person on the end of it and it ultimately caused a huge controversy in Irish society." But at the same time, he was also critical of Keane's stance, saying that "[Keane] left us in Saipan, not the other way round. And he punished himself more than any of us by not coming back."