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WATCH: Roy Keane jokes over referee apology after infamous clash
Footage from Roy Keane’s Dublin appearance with Gary Neville and Roy Keane has been released
Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher in Dublin
Kevin Palmer
It was one of many infamous incidents over the course of his colourful career and now Roy Keane has joked he ‘apologised’ to referee Andy D’Urso after a heated confrontation in 2000.
After D’Urso awarded Middlesbrough a penalty at Old Trafford, Keane lead the protests as several players chased the match official in a scene that sparked a big debate over the intimidating behaviour.
Now Keane has looked back in the incident, as he appeared alongside his Sky Sports colleagues Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher at an event in Dublin earlier this year.
The clash saw photographers capture Keane’s rage, as he pointed out his vein was “popping out of his head” in an image that highlighted Keane’s commanding presence as United’s leader.
“It didn’t seem too bad at the time,” reflected Keane in an episode of The Overlap. “You think you are just fighting your corner.”
Keane suggested the image of him squaring up to the referee has been ‘edited’ to make him look more aggressive, but he didn’t seem to be too concerned about the clash as he added: “I was holding the players back We got into a lot of trouble for it and I did see the referee a couple of weeks later and apologised to him… for the other players’ behaviour!”
Keane previously admitted he had gone over the top in his eagerness to dispute the penalty claim, in a incident that shone a spotlight on the intimidation of match officials.
“We went over the top. Obviously we shouldn’t react like that. We regret it and it won’t happen again. I promise you that,” said Keane in the days after the clash.
“Footballers are under a lot of pressure, but dealing with it is part of the job. It’s not right that we have a go at referees like that.
“As a captain, I should be setting a better example. To go chasing the referee was wrong.
“We went over the top and the manager has had a word with us. At the time we thought nothing of it. We just thought it was a bad decision, and I`ve seen the incident on television and I still think the referee was wrong.
“But obviously we shouldn`t have reacted like that, although if he had stood still I don`t think we would have chased him. He kept running and we kept chasing.”
The event in Dublin also saw Keane’s former Cobh Ramblers team-mate ‘Handsome’ Bob O’Donovan, who was brought on stage and paid a warm tribute to the former Ireland captain.
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