Roy Keane was involved in a training ground bust-up with Republic of Ireland coaches Packie Bonner and Ian Evans on Tuesday as tension built in the camp ahead of the World Cup. The skipper was reportedly upset that outfield players were forced to go in goal.
Roy Keane was involved in a training ground bust-up with Republic of Ireland coaches Packie Bonner and Ian Evans on Tuesday as tension built in the camp ahead of the World Cup.
The skipper was reportedly upset that outfield players were forced to go in goal and a witness explained: « The exchanges were quite heated. Roy was clearly not happy. »
The Manchester United midfielder lost his temper when goalkeepers Alan Kelly, Shay Given and Dean Kiely were kept out of practice games at the Pacific Island training ground.
Keane was heard cursing at goalkeeping coach Bonner, then clashed with Evans, before being told to lighten up by Ireland boss Mick McCarthy.
« Roy was angry out there, he was not a happy camper at all, » added the onlooker. « In fact, he had a face like thunder. »
Meanwhile, McCarthy revealed he has asked his players
to hold back in their tackles during training.
« I like the training to be competitive, but the players know the difference between being competitive and being over the top, » said McCarthy. « We don’t ever have no contact, we train properly with a bit of commonsense.
« They will put their foot in, but there won’t be any sliding tackles or clattering people from behind. »
