Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy feud deserved Michael Jordan’s Last Dance treatment
Saipan recharts the fallout between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy on the eve of the 2002 World Cup which resulted in the Republic of Ireland star heading home early
It was a Greek tragedy in Japan which split the Republic of Ireland.
The infamous clash between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy before the 2002 World Cup was sparked by the lack of footballs, water and professionalism at a training camp on the island of Saipan. But it was also about Irish cultural identity and the ambitions of a newly-confident nation at the start of this century. And a window into the fierce and contradictory Keane character which still makes him a great pundit today.
The Republic of Ireland divided into Team Mick or Team Roy as Manchester United captain went home – and the Boys in Green reached the last 16. Now the scandal has been portrayed in a new film called Saipan – with Steve Coogan playing Mick McCarthy and Éanna Hardwicke taking the role of Roy Keane.
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Cork-born Hardwicke conveys the simmering rage of the Manchester United captain who was fighting homesickness, his inner demons as well as the buffoonery of the Football Association of Ireland and his fellow players. Many will not enjoy their portrayals. In one scene, Keane stands alone on his balcony looking down at a drunken Irish conga around the pool.
There to train and not relax, he lectures everyone about commitment before walking out of his only chance to play at a World Cup. Three years later he left Manchester United after his damning MUTV interview. It is no coincidence.
The tale of a star player falling out with his boss resonates to this day with Mo Salah at Liverpool.
But this story is set after the Celtic Tiger economy had boomed and Ireland enjoyed a new confidence at the start of a new century.
Old school, Barnsley-born McCarthy proudly displays a picture of former Ireland manager Jack Charlton but Keane told him: “Jack was an English fellow who tried to pat Irishmen on the head.”
Speaking about Saipan on the Late, Late Show, Coogan said: “It’s partly about Irish identity and how Ireland sees itself on the international map.
“That was a period of change in Ireland where the old guard of Irish identity was almost being wrested by a new generation to own their own history on their own terms. But really, it’s just about a football manager having an argument with a player! Mick wanted everyone to have a good experience. Roy wanted to win.”
The 90-minute film slowly moves towards the ferocious climax of the team meeting where Keane delivers his expletive-laden attack on McCarthy and declares: “You can stick your World Cup up your arse”.
Coogan spoke to McCarthy before the film – and said he related to playing another northerner of Irish descent – but the Alan Partridge actor fails to capture the former Manchester City and Millwall centre-back. The story would have been better told today in a Last Dance-style documentary with the contemporary views of the main protagonists.
There are rare glimpses of humour among the gloom. Keane’s paper boy back home wears a David Beckham England shirt. And when Steven Reid tried to talk by the Saipan pool, Keane asked: “Fancy a swim?”
“Alright,” said the Millwall midfielder. Quick as a flash, Keane responded: “Go on, I’ll watch your stuff.”
Co-director Lisa Barros D’Sa said: “Saipan is a moment in football and cultural history. You don’t have to be a football fan to enjoy this film. There aren’t even any footballs in it for a long time – and that is part of the problem. It is a psychological drama as well. We felt like it was structured like a Greek tragedy when we read it first of all. It is an amazing story about a row on an Irish training pitch in the Pacific that was heard around the world.”
*Saipan will be shown in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland from December 26. The full UK release date is January 23.
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