Ireland player who sat beside Roy Keane during Mick McCarthy row reacts to Saipan film recreation

Former Republic of Ireland international David Connolly has given his thoughts on how the row between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy was depicted in Saipan after a clip from the film went viral.

Keane's infamous bust-up with then-Ireland manager McCarthy ahead of the 2002 World Cup remains one of football's most dramatic sagas.

For those unaware, the row took place in front of the squad at their training base on the Pacific Island of Saipan and ended with Keane returning home to watch his teammates play at the tournament in South Korea and Japan.

More than two decades later, the heated fallout has been depicted in Saipan, the recently released film that is inspired by the real story.

The film starring Steve Coogan as McCarthy and Cork-born Eanna Hardwicke as Keane features some controversial scenes, but by far the biggest moment was the row that took place in front of Connolly and co.

As seen below, Saipan does not hold back when it comes to the more expletive details.

The Roy Keane v Mick McCarthy shemozzle depicted in the Saipan movie Keano portrayed brilliantly by Éanna Hardwicke a past pupil of Ashton School at the end of Victoria Road in Cork City - one of Ireland's most historic Protestant schools pic.twitter.com/sQyan1Fsbo

— CorkCity1185 (@1185City) March 16, 2026

Keane can be seen ripping into McCarthy for almost four minutes, taking aim at his management style, as well as his character.

David Connolly reacts to Keane vs McCarthy row in Saipan film

On Tuesday, footage from the film emerged online, with the row between Keane and McCarthy becoming a big talking point.

"A dramatised view of Roy Keane’s exit from the 2002 World Cup," wrote Rusty B, who posted the video on X. "Raw, brutal and completely unfiltered. Explosive stuff."

Many left a comment on the clip, including former Republic of Ireland international David Connolly, who was in the room that day when all hell broke loose in Saipan. So, did he think the recreation was accurate?

"A bit of artistic licence here as Roy was sat beside me throughout," said Connolly, who was also asked if most of the dialogue was correct.

"It’s probably there or thereabouts," he added. “'It ain’t what you say, it’s the way that you say it' could be applicable."

Funnily enough, the former Sunderland and Southampton striker brought a camcorder with him to the training camp and filmed some behind-the-scenes footage from the island.

Speaking about the footage he recorded, Connolly told The Mirror last year: “When people have asked me about the tapes and they’ve wanted to meet, I’ve met them, some production companies and stuff like that.

“I’ve showed some of them if they’ve asked. I brought some of the footage and showed them a little bit, just because it’s interesting, not because… But I haven’t really progressed anything from there.

“They were just taken 23 years ago as a bit of fun really, not with any intention to do anything with them.

“I’ve had a bit of fun posting stuff about it [online] and I’ve still got them, and they are hanging around the house somewhere, but I think that’s probably how they’ll remain for the foreseeable future."

Connolly added: “But there’s good footage in it and they were happy days. Fun times with the lads."