Roy Keane continuing to be involved in football at any level is “appalling” after his abysmal tackle on Alf Inge Haaland in 2001, says former FA chairman David Bernstein.
The 20-year anniversary of the tackle, which occurred during a Manchester derby, is approaching and the two clubs are set to meet this weekend. That has led to renewed talk of the incident, where then-United midfielder Keane hit his Manchester City opposite number with a knee-high tackle, as perceived revenge for another occasion three years earlier when Keane had injured himself trying to trip Haaland and the Norwegian claimed he was faking.
While the United captain was later suspended and fined, Bernstein - the former Man City chairman - says that doesn’t go anywhere near far enough as it was a purposeful act on the pitch, which ought to have seen Keane ostracised in the football world for what he felt was a deliberate attack on a fellow player.
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“I’ve never forgotten it,” Bernstein told the Athletic. “From a personal point of view, that was the worst individual thing I’ve been directly involved in, and the worst I’ve ever seen on the pitch. As a human being, it was an awful thing to see. Roy Keane stood over him and basically said, ‘Take that, you b*****d’. It was done in cold blood. I have never forgiven Keane for that.”
More than the criticism and punishments received by Keane during his playing days, Bernstein says that even now there should be more people in football who reject the involvement of the Irishman.
Keane has held coaching posts with Sunderland, Ipswich and the Irish national team, as either assistant or first-team manager, and now is a regular studio pundit on Sky Sports, often covering the biggest domestic matches.
“I think, frankly, it’s dreadful he’s accepted in football the way he is. After doing something like that, I think it’s absolutely appalling.
“Whenever Keane turns up on television, I switch off. I just won’t watch it. I’m appalled that he’s still involved with football. It’s just not right. Things happen, injuries do happen, but to do it deliberately and admit it the way he did, to sell his book, I think is completely beyond the pale.”
