CORRUPTION IN FOOTBALL is inevitable because of the enormous sums of money involved at the top level, says Roy Keane.
Revelations about a number of high profile managers in the English game have emerged through the Daily Telegraph’s undercover investigation in recent weeks, with Sam Allardyce losing his job as England boss after just 67 days in charge as a result.
Ireland assistant boss Keane — who spent time at Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Celtic, Sunderland, Ipswich Town and Aston Villa during his career as a player, manager and assistant — isn’t surprised by the latest controversies.
“It’s part of the game,” he said at the FAI’s National Training Centre in this afternoon. “We have said it before, there will be greed involved when there is so much money. But having said that, it’s still a great game.”
Despite its problems, Keane insists there is a huge amount of positive work being done by people who dedicate their lives to the sport.
“There are some brilliant people involved in football and it shouldn’t be tarnished as badly as it has been in the last week or so,” he added.
“A lot of this is still accusations and allegations against people. But football is a great game and there are great people involved in it. There are a lot of great managers out there, great players who do great things for the game.
“Why do you think so many people watch the game? They love it. Every now and again, there will be a hiccup along the way, but let’s not get distracted by it.
It’s the greatest game on the planet. We all love it and there are some great people involved — top people who do great work for charity and great stuff behind the scenes.
“There are some brilliant football clubs out there – I have been lucky to have been involved in a few of them and again, let’s not get distracted.
“I’m not saying we brush it under the carpet, but let the clubs and the FA deal with it, whatever is going on.”
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