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Roy Keane: I didn’t mean to deliberately injure Alf Inge Haaland Roy Keane: I didn’t mean to deliberately injure Alf Inge Haaland
(about 2 hours later)
Roy Keane has attempted to put the record straight over his infamous clash with Alf Inge Haaland by admitting he had deliberately wanted to hurt “the absolute prick” – but that he had never wanted to injure the Norwegian and it was not revenge for the challenge, four years earlier, that left him with a serious knee injury.Roy Keane has attempted to put the record straight over his infamous clash with Alf Inge Haaland by admitting he had deliberately wanted to hurt “the absolute prick” – but that he had never wanted to injure the Norwegian and it was not revenge for the challenge, four years earlier, that left him with a serious knee injury.
The allegation, Keane said, “hurt me . . the idea that I’d almost bragged about deliberately injuring a player, in the hope of selling some extra books.” The allegation, Keane said, “hurt me … the idea that I’d almost bragged about deliberately injuring a player, in the hope of selling some extra books”.
However, Keane also goes on to say in his new book, The Second Half, that he has never regretted slamming his studs into the knee of the Manchester City player. Haaland, he says, “pissed me off, shooting his mouth off. He was an absolute prick to play against. Niggling, sneaky. I did want to nail him and let him know what was happening. I wanted to hurt him and stand over him and go: ‘Take that, you cunt.’ I don’t regret that. But I had no wish to injure him.However, Keane also goes on to say in his new book, The Second Half, that he has never regretted slamming his studs into the knee of the Manchester City player. Haaland, he says, “pissed me off, shooting his mouth off. He was an absolute prick to play against. Niggling, sneaky. I did want to nail him and let him know what was happening. I wanted to hurt him and stand over him and go: ‘Take that, you cunt.’ I don’t regret that. But I had no wish to injure him.
“It was action; it was football. It was dog eats dog. I’ve kicked lots of players and I know the difference between hurting somebody and injuring somebody. I didn’t go to injure Haaland. When you play sport, you know how to injure somebody.“It was action; it was football. It was dog eats dog. I’ve kicked lots of players and I know the difference between hurting somebody and injuring somebody. I didn’t go to injure Haaland. When you play sport, you know how to injure somebody.
“There was no premeditation. I’d played against Haaland three or four times between the game against Leeds, in 1997, when I injured my cruciate and the game when I tackled him, in 2001, when he was playing for Manchester City. If I’d been this madman out for revenge, why would I have waited years for an opportunity to injure him?“There was no premeditation. I’d played against Haaland three or four times between the game against Leeds, in 1997, when I injured my cruciate and the game when I tackled him, in 2001, when he was playing for Manchester City. If I’d been this madman out for revenge, why would I have waited years for an opportunity to injure him?
“Was I going around for years thinking: ’I’m going to get him, I’m going to get him.’? No. Was he at the back of my mind? Of course he was. Like Rob Lee was, like David Batty was, like Alan Shearer was, like Patrick Vieira was. All these players were in the back of my mind: ’If I get a chance I’m going to fucking hit you, of course I am.’ “Was I going around for years thinking: ’I’m going to get him, I’m going to get him.’? No. Was he at the back of my mind? Of course he was. Like Rob Lee was, like David Batty was, like Alan Shearer was, like Patrick Vieira was. All these players were in the back of my mind: ‘If I get a chance I’m going to fucking hit you, of course I am.’
“Haaland finished the game and played four days later, for Norway. A couple of years later he tried to claim that he’d had to retire because of the tackle. He was going to sue me. It was a bad tackle but he was still able to play four days later.”“Haaland finished the game and played four days later, for Norway. A couple of years later he tried to claim that he’d had to retire because of the tackle. He was going to sue me. It was a bad tackle but he was still able to play four days later.”
Keane was banned for five matches and fined £150,000 after his first book made it appear as though it was a pre-meditated assault, and he says the case was bound to go against him as soon as his biographer, Eamon Dunphy, was asked whether the United captain had intentionally tried to injure a fellow professional. Keane was banned for five matches and fined £150,000 after his first book made it appear as though it was a premeditated assault, and he says the case was bound to go against him as soon as his biographer, Eamon Dunphy, was asked whether the United captain had intentionally tried to injure a fellow professional.
“Eamon’s three words back were: ’without a doubt.’ That was the case, my defence, out the window,” Keane says. “Looking back at it now, I’m disappointed in the other Manchester City players. They didn’t jump in to defend their team-mate. I know that if someone had done that to a United player, I’d have been right in there. They probably thought he was a prick, too.” “Eamon’s three words back were: ‘without a doubt’. That was the case, my defence, out the window,” Keane says. “Looking back at it now, I’m disappointed in the other Manchester City players. They didn’t jump in to defend their team-mate. I know that if someone had done that to a United player, I’d have been right in there. They probably thought he was a prick, too.”