Mick McCarthy Unleashes Fury Over Roy Keane and Steve Coogan Film
Mick McCarthy has made his lingering feelings on Roy Keane – and the new Steve Coogan film depicting their infamous 2002 World Cup fall-out – abundantly clear in an x-rated speech at an event this week. The long-standing feud between McCarthy and Keane, which has simmered for over two decades, has been thrust back into the spotlight with the release of Saipan.
The Saipan Incident Revisited
The film, starring Steve Coogan as McCarthy and Eanna Hardwicke as Keane, dramatises the explosive pre-World Cup trip to the Pacific island of Saipan almost twenty-four years ago. The Republic of Ireland's training camp was plagued by such poor facilities that the team arrived without footballs, prompting Keane to publicly criticise McCarthy's management. After a period of intense drama and conflict, Keane famously flew home, creating one of football's most enduring rivalries.
Daily Mail football editor Ian Ladyman praised Hardwicke's performance, noting he 'gets Keane so perfectly it's vaguely chilling'. However, McCarthy, now 67, holds a starkly different view of the cinematic retelling.
McCarthy's Scathing Assessment
At an event hosted by The Sun in Ireland, McCarthy did not mince his words. 'What's it been, 24 years? And I still keep getting asked about it,' McCarthy lamented. 'I mean, I do these Q&As, the last one I did, I got asked about Keane.'
He continued with sarcastic praise, saying, 'I said: "You know, he's a fabulous player, great captain, captain of his club and everywhere he's been and what he's done is fantastic." I said, "great goalscorer" – and everybody's looking at me – and I said: "I'm talking about [old Ireland team-mate] Robbie [Keane], not that other ****."'
Criticism of the Film and Coogan's Portrayal
McCarthy, who did speak to Coogan before the film's release, was thoroughly unimpressed with the final product. 'My family and I all went to look at it, and it’s a heap of s*** to be fair,' he declared. His grievances extended to the physical depiction, adding, 'and my concern is, he’s about 5ft 8in, Steve Coogan, and in the film Roy towers above him for f***'s sake.'
He also corrected a reported detail, stating emphatically, 'And yes, I did speak to him [Coogan], because I got asked, but then I saw in one of the Irish newspapers that I coached him – no I f***ing didn’t coach him.'
Legacy of the Feud
The high-profile release of Saipan, which debuted in Ireland at the end of last year and in the United Kingdom in early 2026, has reignited public interest in this bitter spat. While Keane, 54, remains a prominent and divisive figure as a television pundit, McCarthy has stepped back from public-facing football roles, with his last position as manager of Blackpool in 2023.
Despite the passage of time, McCarthy's anger towards Keane remains palpable, underscoring how deeply the events of 2002 continue to resonate. The film may have aimed to capture a historical moment, but for McCarthy, it only serves to perpetuate a narrative he clearly despises.
