Mick McCarthy has made his feelings towards Roy Keane, and the new film by Steve Coogan that revisits their infamous 2002 World Cup dispute, abundantly clear through a candid and explicit address at a recent event.
The long-standing rift between McCarthy and Keane resurfaced with the release of “Saipan,” a film featuring Steve Coogan and Eanna Hardwicke as the Ireland manager and captain, respectively. The movie chronicles the tense pre-World Cup trip that took place over two decades ago.
The conflict between the two erupted at the Republic of Ireland’s training camp on the Pacific island of Saipan. The substandard facilities, including the absence of footballs, sparked Keane’s criticism of McCarthy’s management. The situation escalated, leading to Keane’s dramatic departure from the squad.
McCarthy hasn’t let go of the animosity either, reportedly calling Keane a derogatory name during an event organized by The Sun in Ireland.
Steve Coogan and Eanna Hardwicke starred as Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane in Saipan
McCarthy and Keane did not see eye-to-eye with Ireland – and are still enemies now
“It’s been 24 years, yet I still get asked about it,” McCarthy remarked. “At the last Q&A session I did, someone brought up Keane.”
He continued, “I told them, ‘He was a phenomenal player, an outstanding captain, and his achievements with his club and everywhere else are remarkable.'”
‘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 c***.”‘
McCarthy, whose most recent job in football was with Blackpool in 2023, also revealed how he walked out of the move after just 20 minutes.
His anger of Coogan’s portrayal of him was supported by Ireland legend Niall Quinn, who also attended the event. Quinn, who scored 21 goals and won 92 caps his country, went onto reveal why he had opted against going to watch the film.
He said: ‘There was no point in seeing it because I’d have gotten frustrated as well.
‘A friend of mine saw it, and he said to me, “You’ll be pleased to know they play you as a complete drunk who offers nothing to anything”.
‘And I went, “Yeah, well OK, they might have a bit of a point there!”‘
Keane, 54, continues to divide opinion in his prominent TV roles as a pundit while McCarthy has stepped back from public-facing football work.
Keane did not hold back on his manager – and McCarthy still now calls him a ‘****’
But 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 thrust the spat back into focus.
McCarthy, who did speak to Coogan before the film was released, was not impressed with the re-telling of the story.
He said: ‘My family and I all went to look at it, and it’s a heap of s*** to be fair, and my concern is, he’s about 5ft 8in, Steve Coogan, and in the film Roy towers above him for f***’s sake.
‘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.’
Keane’s frustrations stemmed from the state of the pitches in Saipan, which he described as ‘rock hard’.
‘I can’t imagine any other countries in the world who are far worse off than us, playing on something like that,’ Keane said at the time. The midfielder denied that he was being a ‘prima donna’ in his behaviour and insisted the facilities used by the team were ‘dangerous’.
