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Irish Echo editorial: Ole, Ole, Ole

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

The two most famous such occasions were after Ireland’s great nationalist leader Charles Stuart Parnell was named as co-respondent in a divorce case in 1890 and after the signing of the 1921 Treaty, which led to civil war and in some families brother taking up arms against brother.
The Roy Keane-Mick McCarthy row seemed to follow in that tradition. It broke out in May 2002 when the Manchester United player was sent home on the eve of the World Cup finals. If reports are to be believed, Keane’s expulsion led to fistfights in the workplace between proponents of the warring factions. Even people who hitherto had shown no interest in soccer took hard-line positions.
Luckily, the row didn’t leave quite the same legacy of bitterness as those earlier splits, even though it’s unlikely that a civil word will ever pass between Keane and McCarthy themselves. Indeed, when the dust settled in 2002, particularly after Ireland performed creditably in the World Cup, the average armchair fan was willing to see both points of view. And anyway, apart from the rights and wrongs of the issue, it was obvious that Keane and McCarthy were two people not meant for each other.
But Ireland has had a new manager more than a year and the nation is anxious to savor again the excitement that qualification for a major soccer tournament can bring. And now as the squad readies for the 2006 Cup campaign, Irish soccer has gotten some very welcome news — Roy Keane, the Manchester United star who formally retired from international football in February 2003, will return. Brian Kerr has handled this affair with considerable skill. He didn’t go on his hands and knees to the volatile star. He simply stated that Keane is one of the greatest midfield players in the world and that the fans want to see the best possible team line out for Ireland.
And Keane himself deserves some credit. He’s overcome resistance from the management of the world’s most famous club. They lost to him to injury for one season during his prime and didn’t want to him to take what they saw as unnecessary risks in the twilight of his career. The Irish fans had another view — if you can play, then play.
And now he will. Let’s hope that he’ll also get to wear the green jersey on the fields of Germany in 2006.

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