Keane to be sued by Haaland and City
Friday, 16 August 2002Alfe Inge Haaland and Manchester City have announced they will be taking legal action against Roy Keane over the tackle that may have ended the Norwegian's career. Extracts from the Manchester United skipper's forthcoming autobiography suggest Keane intended to harm Haaland in a challenge during an Old Trafford derby on April 21 last year.
Haaland, who suffered cruciate knee damage in the tackle, has not started a first-team game since and the Maine Road club tonight revealed their intention to take Keane and their Mancunian rivals to court. A statement on the club's official website, www.mcfc.co.uk, said: "Following discussions today at Maine Road between the football club, Alfie and his legal advisers, it has been agreed to jointly instruct a leading firm of solicitors regarding the circumstances surrounding Roy Keane's tackle on 21st April 2001. This action has been taken with a view to commencing legal proceedings against Roy Keane and his employers Manchester United Football Club."
The former Republic of Ireland captain's tackle earned him a red card but in his book, 'Keane - The Autobiography', he claims it was pre-meditated and provoked by a encounter between the two some years earlier. In the book, he reveals: "I waited until five minutes before the end, I hit him hard. I think the ball was there. I didn't even wait for the referee to show the red card. I turned and walked to the dressing room."
Filed by Shane Murray
