Saipan Timeline:The chain of events was set in motion a year beforehand, in the summer of 2001, when Ray Treacy travelled to the Far East to scout locations for a pre-World Cup base. A friend put him in touch with John White, an exiled Dub living on the island of Saipan, three-and-a-half hours flying time from Tokyo.
Treacy and Mick McCarthy visited the island and played golf. McCarthy shot a 74.
FRIDAY, MAY 17th, 2002
After a chaotic departure from Dublin airport – including thick crowds, leprechauns and an election-day grip-and-grin from Bertie Ahern – the Ireland team set off for Saipan via Amsterdam and Tokyo. Total flight time is a shade over 17 hours. Roy Keane is in a foul mood from the beginning, rounding on journalists for pieces written about him missing Niall Quinn’s testimonial the previous week.
MONDAY, MAY 20th
The skips with the training gear haven’t arrived. Keane challenges McCarthy about it. McCarthy says he’s been let down by DHL.
TUESDAY, MAY 21st
Keane loses his temper when there are no goalkeepers for a game at the end of training. Decides afterwards that he has had enough and tells McCarthy that he wants to go home. McCarthy phones Colin Healy to call him into the squad. Keane subsequently changes his mind.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22nd
Keane does interviews with Tom Humphries of The Irish Times and Paul Kimmage of the Sunday Independent.
THURSDAY, MAY 23rd
– MORNING
The Irish Times interview hits the streets in Ireland. Keane is damning about the training facilities in Saipan, the pitch, the lack of gear among other things. He also says he’ll be retiring from international football at the end of the World Cup.
THURSDAY, MAY 23rd
– EVENING
McCarthy reads the interview and calls a team meeting. He challenges Keane about it and Keane explodes, attacking McCarthy with a decade’s-worth of nursed grievances. McCarthy accuses Keane of feigning injury to miss the second leg of the previous November’s play-off game against Iran. Keane walks out. McCarthy holds a press conference saying he’s sent him home.
FRIDAY, MAY 24th
The team moves on to Izumo in Japan. Keane flies home to Manchester. McCarthy insists that Keane is not up for discussion at any point and that the issue is closed.
MONDAY, MAY 27th
After a weekend of rumour and speculation on both sides of the globe, Keane does an interview with RTÉ’s Tommie Gorman. The time difference between Ireland and Saipan is lending everything a desperate edge and confusing matters.
Players wait up through the night to hear second-hand accounts of Keane’s words and demeanour.
TUESDAY, MAY 28th
McCarthy eventually gets a transcript of the RTÉ interview in the early morning and holds a team meeting in which he says he’s ending things once and for all in a press conference later that day.
The players draft a statement supporting McCarthy, to be released after his press conference. But confusion reigns as the FAI release the statement almost immediately, even as efforts are continuing between Niall Quinn and Michael Kennedy to mediate a solution. Back in Manchester, Keane sees the statement being read out on Sky News.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 29th
Keane releases a statement saying he does not believe the interests of Irish football would be best served by his return and that the time has come for a conclusion to be brought to the speculation regarding his participation in the World Cup.
SATURDAY, JUNE 1st
The Republic of Ireland get their World Cup off to a decent start by drawing 1-1 with Cameroon in Niigata.
