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Roy Keane pictured during a training session in Saipan in 2002. Alamy Stock Photo
that's mad
Roy Keane's walkout at Saipan has been ranked as the sixth-maddest World Cup moment ever
The media can’t still be going on about Keane in Saipan, can it? It can.
ROY KEANE’S INFAMOUS walkout from the Irish training camp in Saipan ahead of the 2002 World Cup has been ranked as the sixth-maddest moment in the global competition’s history.
In a list compiled by US news outlet The Athletic last week, Keane’s walkout ranked narrowly behind Luis Suárez biting Italian player Giorgio Chiellini in the 2014 tournament.
Keane’s decision also ranked behind German goalkeeper Toni Schumacher putting French defender Patrick Battiston into a coma, Brazil losing the semi-final 7-1 at home to Germany, Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ and even Zinedine Zidane’s infamous headbutt in the 2006 final.
For those who need a refresher: Keane, the team captain, clashed with then-Irish manager Mick McCarthy over what he saw as poor preparation and substandard facilities at the pre-tournament training facility on the Pacific Island of Saipan ahead of the 2002 World Cup, which was hosted by Japan and South Korea.
Keane, who played for Manchester United at the time and was widely recognised as one of the Ireland’s best players, was tipped over the edge by McCarthy allegedly claiming Keane had exaggerated an injury to miss a qualifying match.
The row culminated in Keane being dropped from the World Cup squad by McCarthy. Keane was sent home from the tournament, a shocking moment that divided the nation and remains one of Irish football’s most infamous episodes.
The captain flew home, and despite the efforts of the media and even then-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Keane and McCarthy failed to resolve the conflict and Keane missed the World Cup.
As The Athletic noted: “Pictures of [Keane] walking his dog became front-page news, while McCarthy led Ireland to the last 16.”
The incident became permanently embedded in the Irish zeitgeist, so much so that it was recently made into a film (aptly named Saipan) starring Éanna Hardwicke as Keane and Steve Coogan as McCarthy.
Keane himself insists that he still hasn’t watched the movie.
The 2026 World Cup kicks off in Mexico on Thursday at 8pm Irish time.
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