Roy Keane has said he wished he hadn’t fallen out with Mick McCarthy before the 2002 World Cup in Saipan, but insists he has no regrets.

The pair had never got on, and years later, the Irishman still gets asked about the incident which saw him leave the team camp and return home from Saipan.

Roy Keane, who was speaking with Micah Richards and Clinton Morrison on the third episode of their new Sky Bet World Cup mini-series, Road To America, explains how his frustration with the lack of professionalism in the Irish set-up was brought to a tipping point.

Roy Keane shakes hands with manager Mick McCarthy, Republic of Ireland vs Holland, 2001, Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Lorraine O'Sullivan (Photo by Lorraine O'Sullivan/INPHO via Getty Images)
Roy Keane shakes hands with manager Mick McCarthy, Republic of Ireland vs Holland, 2001. Pic: Lorraine O’Sullivan/INPHO via Getty Images

‘Given everything that had happened with Ireland over many years, there was always going to be a tipping point,’ the Cork man said.

‘I could not have done anything differently, and I have no regrets. Do I wish it had happened? Of course not. But if a manager calls a player out in front of an entire squad, I am going to react.

‘Even Kevin [Kilbane], who would probably be considered closer to Mick’s side of the argument, later said he could not believe Mick had not spoken to me privately.’

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Mick McCarthy, Republic of Ireland manager. Korea, 2002. Pic: David Maher / SPORTSFILE *EDI*

‘If this disagreement had happened after a friendly against Malta, nobody would have cared. The reason it became such a huge story was that it happened on the eve of a World Cup.

‘The easiest thing for me would have been to keep quiet. I was 32 years old, I had won major honours, I had played in a World Cup, and I could simply have ignored everything.’

Keane highlighted that he wanted to speak about the issue to ensure it wouldn’t happen again, saying he would’ve felt more guilty about the incident if he hadn’t said anything.

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Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy in 1996. Pic: INPHO/Lorraine O’Sullivan

‘But I would have felt more guilty sitting here today if I had [ignored everything]. I wanted to leave things better for the players who came after me.’

‘Afterwards, things improved. Players travelled differently, standards improved, and certain issues were addressed. There was even an independent review commissioned by the Football Association of Ireland, and it was highly critical of both the organisation and aspects of the management.

‘That is why I reject the suggestion that I was looking for trouble or acting out of ego because I played for [Manchester] United. The easiest thing for me would have been to ignore everything.’