10 Biggest Premier League Controversies
3. Keane Versus Håland
The Background:
It is the Manchester derby of April 2001 and United captain Roy Keane has some unfinished business with City's Norwegian midfielder Alf-Inge Håland.
Back in 1997 when Håland was at Leeds, he and Keane had clashed during a scrappy 1-0 win for the Yorkshire club. Frustrated with Håland "winding him up", Keane had dived in for a mistimed tackle, fouling the Leeds player but leaving Keane himself injured. As Keane lay on the turf, Håland had added insult to injury, literally, by suggesting that the Red Devils captain was faking it. In reality, Keane had snapped his cruciate ligament and would miss much of the rest of the season.
The Controversy:
Still bearing a grudge for Håland wrecking his season four years earlier and then having the temerity to accuse him of feigning injury, Keane goes in hard on the Norwegian, kicking out nowhere close to the ball with a raised foot into Håland's knee.
Keane is immediately given his marching orders and a three-match suspension for violent conduct. The controversy kicks up a gear, though, with the following summer's publication of Keane's autobiography.
In the book Keane states that he had been waiting for an opportunity deliberately to hurt Håland. "I'd waited long enough. I f*cking hit him hard. Take that you c*nt. And don't ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries," he writes.
The Aftermath:
Håland doesn't start another game for City, eventually retiring prematurely due to injury. On the publication of Keane's autobiography he threatens to sue over Keane deliberately ending his career. But the case never comes to court. An existing injury to Håland's other knee is at least as responsible for his early retirement.
Keane defends himself by blaming artistic liberties taken by his ghost writer, but the FA still fines him £150,000 and bans him for five further games.
In 2014 he publishes a second autobiography, which backtracks on the previous one. Ever so slightly. "I wanted to hurt him and stand over him and go: ‘Take that, you c*nt.’ I don’t regret that. But I had no wish to injure him," he now says, confusingly.