The Dunph hits back at Keane’s claim in his new book.
The book is not even officially out yet but thanks to all the leaks, those that Roy Keane has had a pop at are already having a pop back.
This morning, Eamon Dunphy used his Star column to address what Keane said about his role in the FA inquiry into the Corkman’s infamous tackle on Alf Inge Haaland.
In The Second Half Keane claims that when Dunphy, his first ghost writer, was asked at the FA inquiry if he thought Keane had meant to injure the Leeds player, Dunphy replied: ‘Without a doubt’. Keane says that his defence was now ‘out the window’ and that he was ‘definitely f***ed’.
Keane got a five-game ban for the tackle from the FA but Dunphy defended himself strongly today.
“I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the description of the challenge on Haaland because it was clear what had happened,” Dunphy says in the Star.
“It wasn’t just the foul itself – Keane stood over Haaland when he was on the ground in pain and bawled him out of it. By any standards, it was a particularly ugly incident.
“I’d already come out and said in public that I’d taken artistic licence, and the words were mine, not Keane’s. I was saying that I was putting the words in his mouth to try and get him off the charge.
“I was prepared to shred my own reputation and take a hit for making things up in order to help Keane.
“What he’s saying in his new book about me not wanting to be there, and anxious to clear my reputation, is nonsense. On the contrary, I was happy to be there and wanted to do everything I could to help him.
“One of the things I like about Roy Keane is his distaste for bullshitters. But, in this case, Keane is bullshitting. He knows this isn’t true.”
Yesterday Dunphy said on Today FM that about six months after the hearing he met Roy for a drink after Keane’s testimonial and everything was ‘hunky dory’ so he thought this matter was closed. Looks like it might be open again.
We guess Dunphy will talk about it on the RTE panel before the Gibraltar game on Saturday, so that should be worth tuning for.
