Saipan incident: What happened between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy

More than 20 years on, the Irish are still divided over the events that unfolded on the Japanese Island of Saipan back in 2002.

The Saipan incident was a public quarrel between the Republic of Ireland's captain Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy.

The bust-up occurred while the team were preparing for the upcoming 2002 World Cup on the Japanese Island with the pair disagreeing about strategy, training conditions and travel arrangements ahead of the upcoming tournament.

Keane who was without a doubt Ireland's best player at the time ended up leaving the camp before the start of the tournament, much to the anger and dismay of the Irish who believed that Keane could have taken them far in the tournament in Japan.

So what really happened in Saipan? What was Keane and McCarthy's argument really about? and why did Roy Keane leave the Republic of Ireland alone and stranded at their time of need?

Heading into the 2002 Japan and Singapore World Cup, the Irish nation believed they had a team which stood a real chance of making it far in the competition.

Keane who played under Sir Alex Ferguson at the time with Manchester United was Ireland's main man and captain.

Leading up to Saipan, Keane had been very outspoken over his distaste for how the Irish team had been preparing for the competition. 

Some of the main things Keane criticised the Irish management for were the conditions of the camp, travel arrangements, strategy, diet and McCarthy's competence.

He was outraged by the seeming lack of professionalism and mistreatment of their players, which was witnessed first hand by the fact the players were seated in business class on their flight over to Taipan whilst the FAI officials were put in first class.

Once the Irish team had touched down in Saipan, Keane was immediately dissatisfied with the facilities and general preparations as they didn't match his expectations as he viewed Ireland's time in Saipan as a crucial part of their preparation for the finals.

However the FAI chose the Island as their initial base because they wanted to provide players with a spot of rest and recreation, after a long club season. 

The Irish captain was infuriated with the FAI's mentality and preparations ahead of the World Cup so much that on May 22, he decided he was going to go home but soon changed his mind and stayed on.

However still reeling from the state of the facilities Keane agreed to sit down with Irish journalist Tom Humphries who worked for the Irish Times at the time.

Keane told Humphries 'You wonder why players get injured? Well, playing on a surface like that... It's rock hard. One or two of the lads have picked up injuries... But you know, we're the Irish team, it's a laugh and a joke.'  

'I’ve basically had enough of certain things,'

'I’ve come over here to do well, and I want people around me to want to do well. If I feel we’re not all wanting the same things, there’s no point.' he added

The article and Keane's harsh words quickly spread throughout the Ireland camp, increasing tensions greatly.

McCarthy decided to question Keane on his quotes during a team meeting.

He held up a copy of the article and asked 'what's this all about', resulting in an argument between the pair breaking out.

More drama ensued after their dressing room bust-up with the two men publicly taking shots at one another. 

McCarthy went on to accuse the Manchester United midfielder of faking an injury during Ireland's second leg of the play-offs against Iran.

Before McCarthy felt the full wrath of the then 30-year-old, who went on to unleash some venomous words towards his manager.

Mick, you're a liar … you're a fucking w****r. 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 f*****g wanker and you can stick your World Cup up your a**e. 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 b******s.'

Mick McCarthy then held a press conference announcing that he had sent Keane home.

The press conference sent shock waves in both Irish football and society, with the then-Taoiseach (Ireland's prime minister) Bertie Ahern being pressured to intervene. 

Despite Aherne's best efforts to do damage control and bring Keane back into the Irish set-up, Keane and McCarthy failed to resolve the conflict. 

Keane then gave an interview to RTÉ surrounding the controversy and when he was asked if he would go back he did not deny the possibility that he would.

However, the Irish football team were defeated in a penalty shootout by Spain in the second round as Keane took no part in the 2002 World Cup.

After the ordeal, Keane stated that he would not play for Ireland under McCarthy again. Resulting in a year long absence from the national team until Brian Kerr took over in 2003, which saw Keane return to international football on May, 27, 2004.

Following the incident, the FAI commissioned a report from external consultants Genesis, into its World Cup preparations.

'The Genesis Report' agreed with many of Keane's criticisms, finding that the FAI was not conducive to good planning and making a range of recommendations.

The full report was never published for legal reasons.