No your facts are a little out of order. Keane was critical of the training facilities, the lack of balls (none) with which to train with, no training kit and no physio equipment or special fluids which they were to drink after training. That and the fact the training pitch was like a carpark (hard). He felt it was his responsibility as team Captain that he voice these concerns to McCarthy. Which he did in private in McCarthy's room.

According to Keane when he complained about the pitch McCarthy said he'd heard it was OK. Keane was astounded that noone from the FAI had come out to inspect the training facilites beforehand. Now compare this preparation with England's or any other Nation that takes their presence in the World Cup seriously. England flew directly to Japan. Ireland had I think four stop overs.

Anyway at that point Keane decided he wasn't going to continue and told McCarthy he was going to go back home. He talked to Alex ferguson and his family and was persuaded to stay. So again he spoke to McCarthy and said he had changed his mind and would stay. It was after that that he spoke to the reporter from the Irish Times. I only read an edited version of that interview but never saw any reference to calling his team mates cowards in it (that happened in the interview he did with RTE when he returned to England).

He claimed he told the reporter from the Times all of things that he had discussed with McCarthy. McCarty calls the infamous team meeting, Keane claims that everything was fine until McCarthy questioned his loyalty to the team by feigning injury so as not to have to travel to Iran during the playoffs. Keane said that he felt McCarthy was calling him a liar, at that point he consequently lost his temper and the rest is history as they say.

In the Interview he did with RTE on his return to England he called Niall Quinn, Steve Staunton and Alan Kelly specifically, cowards because after the bust-up with McCarthy they came to his room to wish him well. Right after they had just held a press conference to critisize him and stand up for McCarthy. They claimed later to have the backing of all the players on the team. Not true according to Keane. He said that Jason MacAteer, Ian Harte and a few of the younger players whom he didn't name because they were afraid a backlash came and spoke with him and told him that when Quinn asked a round of applause in support for McCarthy's decision they refrained from clapping.

I have been following very closely this whole thing reading ewvrything I could find, listening to interviews and if I have missed anything or miscommunicated anything then I stand to be corrected. Den