Mick mccarthy press conference

Scandal in Irish Football

The Saipan incident was a public quarrel in May 2002 between Republic of Ireland national football team's captainRoy Keane and managerMick 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.

Mick mccarthy press conference today

The incident divided public opinion in Ireland regarding who was to blame.

Background

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.^[1]

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, whil