Mick McCarthy walked out of a screening of the film 'Saipan' after just 20 minutes, deeming it a "heap of s*". The movie portrays McCarthy's infamous falling out with Ireland captain Roy Keane ahead of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Keane was unhappy with the facilities and the Irish FA's choice of Saipan, a remote location in the Northern Mariana Islands, as a destination for a warm-up before the tournament. This decision led to an explosive team meeting where Keane famously told McCarthy to stick the World Cup "up his b*llocks" before flying back home.
McCarthy expressed his discontent with the film, stating that it makes him appear as a "northern numpty" who was not competitive. He also took issue with the depiction of his height, claiming that actor Steve Coogan, who played him in the film, was about 5ft 8in and looked significantly shorter than Roy Keane. McCarthy's family accompanied him to the screening, and they all left after a quarter of an hour.
The argument between McCarthy and Keane mainly stemmed from Keane's perception that McCarthy and the Irish FA had chosen Saipan as a holiday destination rather than a place to work hard and prepare for the tournament. McCarthy disputes this portrayal, insisting that he was there to win.
The depiction of Mick McCarthy in the film 'Saipan' raises questions about the accuracy of historical accounts in sports movies. McCarthy's reaction to the film suggests that he felt misrepresented and that the movie did not accurately capture his personality. This highlights the challenges of portraying real-life events in a fictionalized format and the potential for misinterpretation.
