FAI makes last ditch effort to have Keane back into squad

It has been reported that the FAI are working behind the scenes to have Roy Keane brought back into the Irish squad.

It has been reported that the FAI are working behind the scenes to have Roy Keane brought back into the Irish squad.

The FAI's chief executive, Mr Brendan Menton, is understood to have scheduled talks with Mick McCarthy in an attempt to find a way at getting Keane back in the squad without "losing face".

Mr Menton is said to be meeting McCarthy sometime in the next eight hours in the hope of forging a reconciliation between the manager and Keane.

Earlier the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, confirmed that he is prepared to take time out from negotiating the formation of a new government in order to negotiate the reformation of the Republic's World Cup squad.

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A Government spokesperson told ireland.comthat Mr Ahern has made "indirect contact" with representatives of Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy and "offered to intervene" in their dispute "if they thought it would be of benefit."

Mr Ahern has yet to receive a reply from either party, and has not yet decided how far he is willing to go to get Ireland's World Cup plans back on track.

Roy Keane left the Pacific island of Saipan alone today, a day after being kicked out of the team by Mick McCarthy.

Speaking to the BBC this morning, a stoney-faced Keane indicated that he had no regrets about the week's events.

He flew to Japan where he is expected to take a flight to Britain. The rest of the Irish squad flew to Japan earlier, on a scheduled flight.

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has thus far stayed strictly neutral in the controversy.

While the development depressed Irish followers worldwide, with most rushing to make their views clear, Mr Ahern, a Manchester United as well as an Irish supporter said only that he had been "disappointed" by the developments.

He added: "Soccer at international level is a very tough business and I wish Mick and the rest of the team well in their preparations for the challenge ahead."

Most of the public sympathy seems to lay with McCarthy, who was also backed all the way by the FAI.

Additional reporting PA