Who might ever have foreseen that the title of a distant island within the western Pacific Ocean would come to symbolise one of many defining moments in Irish sporting historical past?
The mere point out of Saipan will transport soccer supporters of a sure age again to the summer season of 2002 and an notorious bust-up that overshadowed the Republic of Eire’s World Cup preparations.
Right now it was introduced that the dispute between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy that divided a nation, and continues to be a supply of intrigue all these years later, will type the premise of an upcoming movie.
Directed by Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa, ‘Saipan’ is concerning the occasions main as much as the general public fallout between the crew’s captain and supervisor that noticed Keane miss out on the match.
A gathering of Eire supporters within the aftermath of the Saipan incident
Éanna Hardwicke will play the legendary former Manchester United midfielder reverse comic and actor Steve Coogan as McCarthy.
Manufacturing is anticipated to start out quickly and the movie is scheduled for a cinema launch subsequent summer season.
“One million phrases have been written about what occurred on that fateful week in 2002 on the tiny island of Saipan,” stated producers Macdara Kelleher and John Keville.
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“Subsequent yr, audiences will lastly get to expertise firsthand the feud between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy and why it was labeled ‘the worst preparation for a World Cup marketing campaign ever’.
Niall Quinn commiserates with Matt Holland after his penalty miss towards Spain (Picture credit score: Getty Pictures)
Keane and McCarthy by no means had relationship, stretching again to their time as worldwide teammates, however it reached breaking level at a coaching camp in Saipan.
Keane was sad with the usual of the services and what he perceived as an amateurish strategy to making ready for the World Cup, which he expressed in an interview.
McCarthy challenged Keane about his feedback, culminating in a livid assault on the Eire supervisor’s credentials and an acrimonious departure shortly earlier than the match began.
Whereas Eire carried out properly with out Keane, reaching the second spherical earlier than being knocked out by Spain on penalties, they might certainly have fared higher with their star participant within the crew.
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