'Saipan was not a jolly' - the infamous Keane v McCarthy row

Key Highlights

• Did we work hard and train when it was scheduled?
• Of course."Kiely also questioned the idea that the team were left to train without footballs."We definitely had footballs, because otherwise we wouldn't have got sessions done."Although Kiely remembers that the facilities could have been better, he said they were "definitely not Sunday league level". Dean Kiely won 11 caps for the Republic of Ireland from 1999 to 2008 []'I can play in the middle of the park if you need, Mick'Keane, who won seven Premier League titles during a 12-year stint at United under Sir Alex Ferguson, was unhappy about the training facilities in Saipan. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn May 2002, having threatened to exit the team once, he told the Irish Times that the pitches were "rock hard"."I can't imagine any other countries in the world who are far worse off than us, playing on something like that," Keane said. He said he was not being a "prima donna" and called the facilities "dangerous". Days later, during a team meeting, McCarthy demanded an apology from his captain in front of the squad."I think Mick's intention was to drop it on Roy in public," Kiely said."I don't know whether he wanted to embarrass him."AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEither way, the famously combative midfielder responded to McCarthy's interrogation with a lengthy tirade.
• Legend has it that Keane told McCarthy "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" before storming out and quitting the team. Kiely said the silence following his departure felt like "an eternity". The then Charlton keeper said he tried to break the tension with a joke, saying: "I can play in the middle of the park if you need, Mick."In the absence of their best player, the Republic of Ireland, who shared a group with Germany, Saudi Arabia and Cameroon, reached the last 16 of the tournament, where they were narrowly beaten on penalties by Spain. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementKeane would not resume international duty until after McCarthy had departed from his first spell in charge of the national side. The Republic of Ireland have not reached a World Cup since. Kiely said the side could have gone further in the competition had Keane not exited."We would have been much better set with him playing in the middle of the team," he said. McCarthy and Keane didn't 'continuously slag each other off'The film portrays Keane and McCarthy's feud as one with deep roots, going back to their time as international team-mates."Did peo.