Keane sent home from World Cup
Manchester United's temperamental captain Roy Keane was today sensationally thrown out of the World Cup by his own manager.
The Republic of Ireland's captain has been having a simmering row with boss Mick McCarthy for two days but observers thought that they had finally patched up their differences with Keane, 31, agreeing to represent his country in Japan before retiring from international football.
However, this morning McCarthy shattered this fragile truce by sending the player home. It is a massive humiliation for the outspoken midfielder who most agree is his country's best player.
The decision to send Keane home brings to an end a fraught series of rows within the Ireland camp. This began when Keane apparently lost his temper after a training ground spat with team-mate Alan Kelly and goalkeeping coach Pat Bonner on Tuesday and went on to criticise fellow team-mates.
He told McCarthy to count him out of the World Cup later that night, then changed his mind after a conversation with his club boss Sir Alex Ferguson and his family early yesterday morning.
Having decided to stay he said he would retire from international football after the tournament. But McCarthy seems to have had enough of Keane's outbursts and has finished his career.
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