Keane v Warner. It’s fun to watch, but who is right?

The club versus country row has always caused problems but one battle is beginning to take on epic proportions.

We are not talking about Barcelona and Spain falling out about the availability of Xavi, or Chelsea and Germany on a collision course over Michael Ballack, or Real Madrid and Italy falling out over whether Cannavaro is fit to play in a friendly.

The battle in question

The battle in question is taking place between Sunderland and Trinidad and Tobago. Well, to be more precise it is taking place between Sunderland manager Roy Keane and Fifa vice-president Jack Warner. The row is about thirty-six year old Dwight Yorke who is yet to play a first team game for his club this season.

The row is likely to move on to the next stage now as Trinidad and Tobago have named Yorke in their next World Cup qualifying squad. They face games against Guatemala on 11 October and the USA in the Port of Spain four days later.

Earlier this month Keane withdrew Yorke from international duty forcing him to miss their game against the USA after he had played against Guatemala. That withdrawal led to Jack Warner writing a letter to Keane blaming him for making Yorke miss the game.

Clown

In the style more reminiscent of Roy Keane the player than the quiet and peace loving manager we have grown to know, Keane responded by calling Warner ‘a clown’.

As the vice-president of Fifa, Jack Warner is one of the most powerful men in world football. His role with Trinidad and Tobago is purely in an advisory capacity, but he does tend to get involved.

In his letter to Keane he accused him of being ‘disrespectful’ when he withdrew Yorke from the squad.

An obviously angry Roy Keane said of the incident, “Yorke is retired. I’ve told Jack what I think of him and where to go. He’s a clown, a disgrace.”

Unsurprisingly, the vice-president of Fifa didn’t take kindly to being called a ‘clown’ and a ‘disgrace’. He wrote back to Keane in far stronger terms;

“The disrespectful tone of your reported comments further demonstrates the total disrespect that you and others of your ilk have generally for players and officials from ‘small’ countries. It is obviously difficult for you to accept the fact that someone from a ‘small’ country could rise to become a vice-president of Fifa.”

Powerful man

It will be fascinating to see if Keane, still one of the most powerful and grudgingly respected men in English football will be bothered to continue the row with Warner, who in theory, is the second most powerful man in the football world. It seems that Keane might not waste any time on Warner and has turned his sights onto the player himself.

If Jack Warner has made Roy Keane angry, then I suspect that Dwight Yorke might just pay the penalty! In March 2007, Yorke announced he had retired from international football to concentrate on Sunderland. Keane has said that Yorke could be reprimanded for going against his word.

“Yorke has got to look at himself as well, mind. He’s told me he’s retired from international football about five times and then I switch on the TV and he’s running about with the squad. I don’t know if it’s an ego trip or whether he likes the odd cameo. But I do know, for example, that we wouldn’t have offered him a one-year deal this season if he’d said he was going to be playing for Trinidad. I’ll be speaking to him.”

British based players

For the record, Trinidad and Tobago currently sit in third place in the qualifying group. Other British based players in the squad include, Sunderland team-mate Carlos Edwards, Southampton forward Stern John, Coventry midfielder Chris Birchall, St Johnstone winger Collin Samuel, Falkirk playmaker Russell Latapy, Swansea’s Dennis Lawrence and Walsall goalkeeper Clayton Ince.

I’m not sure that either Warner or Keane are the type of people to let things go and let bygones be bygones. I suspect this matter is likely to go on and on.

I don’t think it is appropriate for a man in Jack Warner’s lofty position to get involved in a public war of words such as this, yet I also think that for a manager to be so dismissive of a man who is the number two in the world game is actually quite disrespectful.

I don’t think either man comes out of this incident with much credit but it is fun to watch and I can’t wait for the next instalment!

Who is right?

The whole row about club versus country is a much bigger one than this incident and there are strong views on both sides that are very persuasive. For the record, I think I fall into the Country camp, as despite the fact the clubs play the wages, I still feel that being selected for your country is the ultimate honour and should be fully respected by all.

This particular case is probably more about personalities than the bigger picture. Who do you think is right?