‘Keane was sacked’

MANCHESTER – Manchester United captain Roy Keane was sacked by the club on Friday, according to media reports in Ireland.

Earlier, United’s website said the controversial 34-year-old midfielder left by mutual consent but Tony O’Donoghue, sports editor for Irish state broadcaster RTE, says he was dismissed. “Although they are calling it mutual consent, Roy Keane has been sacked,” O’Donoghue told RTE’s website.”Clearly Man Utd officials and (manager) Alex Ferguson have had enough.The most recent outburst (by Keane) of course came following the 4-1 defeat of Man Utd by Middlesbrough (at the end of October).”O’Donoghue said Keane, who has been out of action since September because of a broken foot, turned up to play in a reserve game on Thursday night and was told there was no place for him in the side and he would have to contact Ferguson.”As you can imagine Roy was not too pleased with this,” said O’Donoghue.The United manager then told Keane he needed to get his agent involved in the discussions.According to O’Donoghue, the decision to sack Keane was taken after a meeting on Friday morning between Michael Kennedy, Keane’s solicitor, and other United representatives.The combative midfielder joined United in 1993 from Nottingham Forest for a then British record fee of 3.75 million pounds ($6.43 million) and has been the lynchpin of Britain’s most famous club for a decade.He helped United win the Premier League seven times as well as the league and FA Cup double in 1994, 1996 and 1999 when United also won the European Cup.Article 6 of Fifa’s transfer regulations only allows players to move outside transfer periods if their contract expired before the end of the previous transfer window – which in Keane’s case would have been August.-Nampa”Although they are calling it mutual consent, Roy Keane has been sacked,” O’Donoghue told RTE’s website.”Clearly Man Utd officials and (manager) Alex Ferguson have had enough.The most recent outburst (by Keane) of course came following the 4-1 defeat of Man Utd by Middlesbrough (at the end of October).”O’Donoghue said Keane, who has been out of action since September because of a broken foot, turned up to play in a reserve game on Thursday night and was told there was no place for him in the side and he would have to contact Ferguson.”As you can imagine Roy was not too pleased with this,” said O’Donoghue.The United manager then told Keane he needed to get his agent involved in the discussions.According to O’Donoghue, the decision to sack Keane was taken after a meeting on Friday morning between Michael Kennedy, Keane’s solicitor, and other United representatives.The combative midfielder joined United in 1993 from Nottingham Forest for a then British record fee of 3.75 million pounds ($6.43 million) and has been the lynchpin of Britain’s most famous club for a decade.He helped United win the Premier League seven times as well as the league and FA Cup double in 1994, 1996 and 1999 when United also won the European Cup.Article 6 of Fifa’s transfer regulations only allows players to move outside transfer periods if their contract expired before the end of the previous transfer window – which in Keane’s case would have been August.-Nampa