Advertisement We need your help now Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open. You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough. If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it. One-off amount I already contribute Investigates Investigates Money Diaries Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sports meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Steve Coogan speaking on the Late Late Show tonight.RTÉ The Saipan Incident Steve Coogan talks speaking to Mick McCarthy before filming Saipan movie In July, it was announced that Coogan would be playing McCarthy in a film depicting the infamous “Saipan incident”. 11.16pm, 14 Feb 2025 Share options ACTOR AND COMEDIAN Steve Coogan said that he had spoken to former Ireland manager Mick McCarthy ahead of portraying him in upcoming film Saipan. Coogan appeared in a pre-recorded interview on the Late Late Show tonight, as he performs Dr Strangelove in the Bord Gais Theatre. He was reportedly forced to pull out of last night’s performance due to laryngitis. In July, it was announced that Coogan would be playing McCarthy in a film depicting the infamous “Saipan incident” – a quarrel between Roy Keane and then-Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy that resulted in the team captain being sent home from the World Cup training camp in Saipan in 2002. Speaking on the Late Late Show, Coogan spoke about various characters he’s taken on previously, including Alan Partridge and Martin Brennan. Of his taking on the role of Mick McCarthy, Coogan said: “I had a chat with him and I wanted to make sure that if I was going to take part in it, that it was a balanced depiction of that fall out”. The Saipan incident was sparked after a public disagreement between Keane and McCarthy while training for the World Cup. The team captain was unhappy with the team’s training standards and the quality of the facilities provided by the FAI. After suggesting that he would leave the camp on 21 May, Keane was persuaded to stay. Advertisement But that same day, he gave an interview in which he spoke about why he was unhappy in the camp, including the provision of cheese sandwiches, and apparently being asked to train on a pitch that was like a car park. When McCarthy called a team meeting the day the interview was published, Keane let fly – telling the manager: “I don’t rate you as a player, I don’t rate you as a manager, and I don’t rate you as a person.” Adding, “you can stick your World Cup up your a**e”, Keane was promptly sent packing from the tournament. This prompted a major split in the Irish public between those who felt Keane was serving his country by seeking higher standards, and those who argued he was deserting it at a time when his midfield skills were most needed. Keane did not play for Ireland again until 2004, after McCarthy had stepped down as manager. When asked whose side he was on the debate, Coogan said, “It’s very hard to say, probably because I’m playing Mick I’m 51% on Team Mick and 49% on Team Roy. My mother would never hear a word said against Roy Keane. “There is something visceral about him, again to do with national identity, something very authentic about him [Roy]. Mick wanted everyone to have a good experience, Roy wanted to win”. He said the film is “partly about Irish identity and how Ireland sees itself on the international map”, “but really it’s about a football manager having an argument with a player”. Bafta-nominated Cork native Éanna Hardwicke will play former Ireland and Manchester United football player Keane. He has also appeared in the Irish film Lakelands and TV dramas The Sixth Commandment and Normal People. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... 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Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Late Late Show Mick McCarthy Steve Coogan The Saipan Incident News in 60 seconds ifta awards IFTA Awards: Saoirse Ronan and Cillian Murphy scoop top film awards as Bad Sisters wins best Drama Shelbourne beat Derry on opening night of League of Ireland action 38 mins ago State seeks to stop case against it over alleged agreement with British military over legal point 45 mins ago Leinster hold on for narrow URC win against gutsy Ospreys Man who 'destroyed' sister’s childhood with sexual abuse jailed for five and a half years High ranking UN peacekeeper injured in attack on convoy in Beirut - no Irish involved in incident Niall O'Connor munich security conference Zelenskyy tells JD Vance Ukraine wants ‘security guarantees’ before talks to end war Irish-based pharma firms in the firing line as Trump takes aim at imports from EU countries ‘A gentle soul’: Hospital review launched as man dies by suicide after presenting to A&E Danielle McLaughlin 'Justice finally achieved': Man found guilty of 2017 rape and murder of Donegal woman in India Caught on film: Chilean kayaker survives after being briefly swallowed by humpback whale more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The Journal supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. 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