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Keane faces two charges |
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ROY KEANE’S turbulent career took another grim but expected
downturn Wednesday when he was charged with two counts of
bringing the game into disrepute arising out of the
autobiography in which he admits intending to hurt an opponent
in a tackle.Because of his poor disciplinary record, the
30-year-old Manchester United captain is expected to face a
lengthy ban if he’s found guilty.He was shown the red for the
10th time for elbowing an opponent in the face at the end of
United’s 1-1 tie with Sunderland Saturday.Keane is currently
recovering from a hip operation which was carried out Tuesday
and United manager Alex Ferguson says he is likely to be out
of action for six weeks.There’s a likelihood that the
suspensions may have finished by the time he’s ready to return
to action. But that depends on how seriously the Football
Association takes the contents of his book “Keane: The
Autobiography” and what suspension they feel is
appropriate.The FA issued a statement explaining why there are
two charges arising out of the same incident.“The first charge
follows the challenge itself on Haaland, which is now alleged
to have been improperly motivated with an apparent element of
revenge,” the statement read.“The second charge relates to Roy
Keane allegedly publishing for financial profit or reward an
account in his autobiography in which he speaks of his desire
to exact revenge on Haaland, therefore bringing the game into
disrepute.”Keane has 14 days to respond to the charges.The
charges have been widely expected since contents of his
autobiography, which went on sale at the end last month, were
published in advance in newspapers.In the book, he says he was
out to get Alf Inge Haaland in revenge for a challenge which
had put him out of the game for several months four seasons
before.Keane accused Haaland, then playing for Leeds United,
of standing over him and saying he had faked the
injury.Haaland was left with damaged knee ligaments after
being fouled by Keane in the Manchester derby — Manchester
United vs. Manchester City — in April 2001 and has not played
a full game since.Keane admitted he made things worse by
taunting Haaland while he lay stricken on the ground.After
sections of his autobiography had been serialised in
newspapers, Keane issued a statement in which he said he never
intentionally went out to hurt opponents and that his words
had been paraphrased by the ghostwriter, Eamon Dunphy.Keane
said the book contained “a degree of artistic license” on the
part of Dunphy.Meanwhile, Keane has topped the British
hardback best-seller list with the autobiography that has
dominated headlines.It shot to the top of the chart after
being released last Friday, according to figures released
Wednesday by chart compiler Nielsen BookScan.“None of us could
have foreseen the amount of publicity that we have got with
the book,” a spokeswoman for publisher Penguin said. “It is
the best-selling hardback book ever in Ireland.”The book also
contains a detailed account of the bitter dispute with coach
Mick McCarthy which led to Keane’s surprising departure from
the Ireland World Cup camp before the tournament kicked off
this summer. Irland reached the second round before losing to
Spain after a penalty shootout.(SD-Agencies)
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