We're only three days into the Qatar World Cup and ITV pundits Roy Keane and Graeme Souness have recorded their first argument of this winter's tournament. Well, that didn't take long, did it?
The war of words began during Tuesday morning's Group C clash between Argentina and Saudi Arabia at the 80,000 capacity Lusail Stadium in Doha.
A penalty was controversially awarded to one of the tournament favourites Argentina with 10 minutes played, when Saud Abdulhamid hauled down Leandro Paredes in the area.
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The inevitable Lionel Messi, who has been involved in 14 of his country's last 20 goals in all competitions, proceeded to tuck away to give Lionel Scaloni's side a deserved 1-0 lead.
After an eventful first-half, the big talking point in the ITV studio was the referee's decision to award a penalty and well, Keane and Souness had a disagreement on live TV.
In fact, at one stage, Souness bluntly told Keane he had repeated his opinion "ten times" and called on the Irishman to "let someone else speak" because "you might learn something."
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Keane, meanwhile, said he was here "to give my opinion" as the two continued to bicker.
You can see the argument in full below.
Before kick-off, both Keane and Souness gave their thoughts on the World Cup being hosted by Qatar.
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“The World Cup shouldn’t be here,” Keane said. “It’s been mentioned about the corruption regarding FIFA, the way they treat migrant workers, gay people – I think it’s great that’s been brought up.
“You can’t treat people like that. We all love football and about spreading the game but to diminish human rights for a football tournament it’s not right – it shouldn’t be here.”
Souness added: "Football is such a vehicle for good and bad. Sportswashing going on in our own country – there’s no way the Saudis should have Newcastle United – shouldn’t be anywhere near it but it’s not an ideal world we operate in.
“They’ve been investing in our country for decades. They’ve infiltrated every level of our society. Football now has such a profile that the Saudis see it, Abu Dhabi, Americans see it – a chance to improve whatever brand they’re involved in.”
Thoughts on the Keane vs Souness beef?
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Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: ITVTopics: Argentina, Football World Cup, Roy Keane, Graeme Souness
