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Keane: He's a clown
Sunderland manager, Warner in war of words
Lasana Liburd
Saturday, September 13th 2008
UPSET: Roy KeaneSunderland Football Club manager and former Manchester United star, Roy Keane, claimed to have added insult to injury on Wednesday when he supposedly phoned FIFA vice-president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) special adviser Jack Warner and told him off after his critical letter to the England Premier League club.
Warner was upset that Keane ordered national team captain Dwight Yorke to miss Wednesday's 2010 World Cup qualifier, which the "Soca Warriors" lost 3-0 to the United States.
"I've told Jack what I think of him and where to go," said Keane. "He's a clown, a disgrace."
Keane insisted that Yorke, at 36, could not play two qualifying matches in one week and expressed annoyance with his lingering international ambitions.
Sunderland did not pressure another employee, 29-year-old Carlos Edwards, to similarly ditch his country.
"He's a clown as well," Keane told the London Times, referring to Yorke. "You retire and then go on an ego trip. He couldn't play Saturday, Wednesday and then try to get involved for us on Saturday, no chance, absolutely no chance.
"If I had known that, he probably wouldn't have got another year's contract from me. You have got to prioritise certain things at his age."
The Irishman was even less impressed by Warner's letter, which accused Keane of "a callous disregard for the rights of 'small' countries".
He insisted that Warner, whose association is being sued by 16 2006 World Cup players including Sunderland star Kenwyne Jones, was only pretending to care about his country's players.
"He has not once called or dropped a letter about Kenwyne (who is injured at present)," said Keane. "(Warner) is probably a small man and he has got this 'Small-Man Syndrome'... He doesn't really care about these players. He makes out he does but he doesn't
"If he is writing a letter representing Trinidad, why is he putting it under FIFA just to impress everybody? People worry about the game and agents and directors of football and managers losing their jobs-we should be worried about people like him.
"Basically, if he's the vice-president of FIFA, God help us all."
Warner defended his decision to use the FIFA letterhead and said that Keane could not accept that "someone from a 'small' country could rise to become a vice-president of FIFA".
"I chose to respond on a FIFA letter-head because that is a privilege afforded me owing to my said status," wrote Warner, "and the fact that your callousness showed utter disregard for FIFA's regulations re the release of players for international duty.
"Regrettably, but not surprisingly, you did not grasp the message."
Warner, who advised the T&TFF to ignore the local players' union-the Football Players Association of Trinidad and Tobago (FPATT)-earlier this year, also sought to contradict Keane's assertion that he did care about the country's players.
"Contrary to what you would have others believe," stated Warner, "we have been monitoring (Jones') progress and I have even extended to him, through his agent, Mike Berry, on more than one occasion my words of comfort and continuing concern."
In fact, Jonathan Barnett-and not Mike Berry-is Jones' agent and has represented the player since 2004.
Jones, who was banned from representing his country for more than a year by the T&TFF in late 2006 and 2007, could not be reached for comment.
Warner ended his rebuttal by reminding the public of Keane's controversial walk-out from the Republic of Ireland team, just before the 2002 World Cup.
Keane, a talented but temperamental figure, was once branded a thug by the British media after injuring Manchester City player Alfe Inge Haaland with a shocking tackle in 2001.
Keane admitted, in his autobiography, that the tackle was an act of revenge after, four years earlier, Haaland accused him of faking when he was genuinely injured.
"A player's greatest honour is to represent his country," said Warner, "in spite of the fact that you chose to walk away from yours during the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup after publicly abusing your manager an indictment that you will no doubt be proud of up to today.
"Poor Sunderland!!!"
Sunderland manager, Warner in war of words
Lasana Liburd
Saturday, September 13th 2008
UPSET: Roy KeaneSunderland Football Club manager and former Manchester United star, Roy Keane, claimed to have added insult to injury on Wednesday when he supposedly phoned FIFA vice-president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) special adviser Jack Warner and told him off after his critical letter to the England Premier League club. Warner was upset that Keane ordered national team captain Dwight Yorke to miss Wednesday's 2010 World Cup qualifier, which the "Soca Warriors" lost 3-0 to the United States.
"I've told Jack what I think of him and where to go," said Keane. "He's a clown, a disgrace."
Keane insisted that Yorke, at 36, could not play two qualifying matches in one week and expressed annoyance with his lingering international ambitions.
Sunderland did not pressure another employee, 29-year-old Carlos Edwards, to similarly ditch his country.
"He's a clown as well," Keane told the London Times, referring to Yorke. "You retire and then go on an ego trip. He couldn't play Saturday, Wednesday and then try to get involved for us on Saturday, no chance, absolutely no chance.
"If I had known that, he probably wouldn't have got another year's contract from me. You have got to prioritise certain things at his age."
The Irishman was even less impressed by Warner's letter, which accused Keane of "a callous disregard for the rights of 'small' countries".
He insisted that Warner, whose association is being sued by 16 2006 World Cup players including Sunderland star Kenwyne Jones, was only pretending to care about his country's players.
"He has not once called or dropped a letter about Kenwyne (who is injured at present)," said Keane. "(Warner) is probably a small man and he has got this 'Small-Man Syndrome'... He doesn't really care about these players. He makes out he does but he doesn't
"If he is writing a letter representing Trinidad, why is he putting it under FIFA just to impress everybody? People worry about the game and agents and directors of football and managers losing their jobs-we should be worried about people like him.
"Basically, if he's the vice-president of FIFA, God help us all."
Warner defended his decision to use the FIFA letterhead and said that Keane could not accept that "someone from a 'small' country could rise to become a vice-president of FIFA".
"I chose to respond on a FIFA letter-head because that is a privilege afforded me owing to my said status," wrote Warner, "and the fact that your callousness showed utter disregard for FIFA's regulations re the release of players for international duty.
"Regrettably, but not surprisingly, you did not grasp the message."
Warner, who advised the T&TFF to ignore the local players' union-the Football Players Association of Trinidad and Tobago (FPATT)-earlier this year, also sought to contradict Keane's assertion that he did care about the country's players.
"Contrary to what you would have others believe," stated Warner, "we have been monitoring (Jones') progress and I have even extended to him, through his agent, Mike Berry, on more than one occasion my words of comfort and continuing concern."
In fact, Jonathan Barnett-and not Mike Berry-is Jones' agent and has represented the player since 2004.
Jones, who was banned from representing his country for more than a year by the T&TFF in late 2006 and 2007, could not be reached for comment.
Warner ended his rebuttal by reminding the public of Keane's controversial walk-out from the Republic of Ireland team, just before the 2002 World Cup.
Keane, a talented but temperamental figure, was once branded a thug by the British media after injuring Manchester City player Alfe Inge Haaland with a shocking tackle in 2001.
Keane admitted, in his autobiography, that the tackle was an act of revenge after, four years earlier, Haaland accused him of faking when he was genuinely injured.
"A player's greatest honour is to represent his country," said Warner, "in spite of the fact that you chose to walk away from yours during the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup after publicly abusing your manager an indictment that you will no doubt be proud of up to today.
"Poor Sunderland!!!"
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