The Saipan incident was a public quarrel in May 2002 between Republic of Ireland national football team's captain Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy when the team was preparing in Saipan for its matches in Japan in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. It resulted in Keane, a key player, being sent home from the squad. The incident divided public opinion in Ireland regarding who was to blame. Background Keane was the captain of the Irish national team; since his senior debut under Jack Charlton and then-captain McCarthy, Keane had perceived problems with the preparations of the Irish side. He regarded the Football Association of Ireland (FAI)'s preparations as unprofessional and challenged both Charlton and McCarthy in a number of notable incidents. Among Keane's issues with Irish management were the conditions of the camp, travel arrangements (which seated the players in business class seats on flights, while FAI officials sat in first class), strategy, expectations, diet, and McCarthy's competence. In his autobiography, Keane said that before a World Cup qualifier away versus the Netherlands, the Irish players were eating cheese sandwiches because the more suitable pre-match meal of pasta was not available. The island of Saipan was selected by an FAI delegation as an initial base. From management's perspective the time was considered a period of relative rest and recreation, at the end of a long club season, and a precursor to moving to Japan to prepare for the tournament. Keane, on the other hand, who is reputed to have told Alex Ferguson that he was going to the World Cup "to win it", viewed it as a period of preparation for the World Cup Finals. He therefore became dissatisfied when facilities and general preparation did not match his expectations. On 22 May Keane decided he was going home but subsequently changed his mind and stayed on. Events Irish broadcaster RTÉ became aware of the developing row, as did several Irish newspapers. Because of its isolated location, there were certain stories circulating about the incidents, which were all critical of Keane. The Daily Star newspaper had been a harsh critic of Keane for months in the run up to the competition. This included making persistent allegations about Keane's commitment to the Irish team. Keane had originally agreed to give an interview to sports journalist Paul Kimmage of the Sunday Independent. Kimmage then agreed to let Tom Humphries of The Irish Times