The Saipan incident is referred to as “The worst preparation for the World Cup campaign ever“. But do football enthusiasts know the story behind it? The incident happened between Ireland football player Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy in Saipan that led to a lot of heated things, that are unknown.
Taking the incident as the main plot, directors Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa are coming up with a movie called ‘Saipan’, featuring Éanna Hardwicke to star as the Manchester United and Ireland football player Roy Keane.
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The Infamous Saipan Incident Is Turning Into A Movie
BAFTA-nominated Irish star Éanna Hardwicke is all set to play the role of soccer legend Roy Keane. Hardwicke will be joined by Steve Coogan who will be portraying the role of Mick McCarthy, the former soccer manager with whom Keane argued, which also happens to be the main theme of the movie ‘Saipan’.
“A million words have been written about what happened on that fateful week in 2002 on the tiny island of Saipan”, said the producers Kelleher and Keville. They added, “Next year, audiences will finally get to experience firsthand the feud between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy and why it was labelled ‘the worst preparation for a World Cup campaign ever’”.
The movie is being directed by Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa who are also the masterminds behind the Irish comedy-drama ‘Good Vibrations‘ and 2019’s ‘Ordinary Love‘.
The directors of the movie also shared that they are thrilled and excited to work with an amazing cast and are ready to share the story of an Irish player and how this whole incident drew a line between nations with a lot of drama.
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What Was The Saipan Incident?
The film’s title comes from the infamous incident that happened between the soccer player and his manager. Ahead of the FIFA World Cup, Roy Keane was preparing on the tiny island of Saipan. Known for his short temper, Keane got into an argument publicly with manager McCarthy, reportedly due to the training conditions, diet, and strategy level of McCarthy.
Moreover, the footballer also delivered an angry statement towards the manager during an Irish press conference saying, “Stick your World Cup up your arse”, before flying back to Ireland.
The incident also caused a huge controversy among the Irish society as to who was to blame and Keane would not play for his country until 2004 as McCarthy stepped from his position of manager.
Wildcard and Vertigo Releasing has acquired UK and Ireland rights for the film and is planning for theatrical release in the summer of 2025.
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