A VIEW FROM THE SIDELINES: The problems that have brought Roy Keane home from the World Cup are far from unique to international soccer. Being away from home and under the media spotlight is hard enough for players to handle any time, and when organisation and facilities are not up to scratch there is always the risk of players reaching a breaking point.
Though the World Cup is clearly one of greatest cauldrons of sport, these same problems arise at other international events. According to Eamonn Coghlan, the former world 5,000-metre champion, and who also finished fourth in two Olympics Games, the pressure on players at the World Cup shouldn't be unbearable. The Olympics, says Coghlan, would present more extreme pressure on individual athletes. The other factors affecting Keane, especially his problems with the FAI, seem to have been the breaking point.
Former Irish rugby international Donal Lenihan, who also managed the Lions team last summer, believes that Keane appears to have genuine reasons to complain about some of Ireland's pre-World Cup arrangements but that this was not the time to air them.
Two GAA managers, Galway football's John O'Mahony and Jimmy Barry Murphy, formerly with the Cork hurlers, accept that there are unique pressures associated with the World Cup, but individuals will always have different ways of dealing with that sort of pressure.
JIMMY BARRY MURPHY
(Former Cork footballer, hurler and Cork hurling manager)
"To be honest it would be very hard for me to comment on the sort of pressure that Roy Keane was under. I'd never competed at that level and under that sort of extreme pressure and under the world spotlight like that.
"But it is sad and I am sorry to see it, because I do think Roy almost single-handedly dragged us to the World Cup. He deserves to play out there and deserves to captain us but I wouldn't know all the ins and outs of what went on.
"There is no comparison though dealing with the sort of pressure I was under and the pressure Roy was under.
"Some people can deal with that sort of pressure and expectations. But we're all made differently, and whenever someone is away from home like that and enclosed in such a tense environment, there may just be a breaking point. Roy seemed to have reached that point.
" But I think it had been bubbling for a while and a lot of this had been under the surface, and is only coming up to the top now."
EAMONN COGHLAN
(Former World 5,000 metre champion)
"Obviously Roy Keane was under a lot of pressure out there, and his super-stardom alone must be hard enough sometimes to deal with. But it wasn't like he was on his own.
"I think if you were to compare it with the Olympic Games I would say there is a lot more pressure on athletes. They are out there on their own and have to toe the line on their own and there's a lot more pressure involved there.
"Reading between the lines it appears he had a lot on his mind and he just wasn't able to get through it.
"But I don't think there were any excessive expectations on Roy. It is an honour to have people talking about how great you are, but there was obviously something deeper in Roy's life that was taking precedence over the World Cup.
"I think it has to be said as well that he's shown a certain lack of responsibility. There's no doubt he's going to be sorely missed, but sometimes things like this can influence the team in a good way as well in that they take on more responsibilities themselves."
DONAL LENIHAN
(Former Irish rugby international and Lions manager)
"Obviously Roy Keane had a lot of problems not just with the FAI, but also the travel arrangements and the whole organisation of the team.
"It's not the first time he's outlined those difficulties and a lot of his problems have been going on for a while now.
"I would have to agree with some of the stuff he was saying and that the Airport Hotel where they stay is not a good base. To be fair I think he has got some genuine reasons for complaint, but I just don't think the World Cup was the place to air them.
"You would have to question why the hotels, the travel and the training facilities were not addressed before. But Ireland has spent three years trying to qualify for the World Cup so when you get there it's not the time to express these difficulties.
"I think he would have been better off playing for Ireland and then expressing his grievances when it was all over, and try to sort them out then. But it is a sad day for everybody, and all the other players building up for this now for the last number of years".
JOHN O'MAHONY
(Galway football manager)
"Team morale is everything, and obviously that will be hit a little bit after this. But it was a very public spat, and trying to solve those problems behind closed doors and out in the open is totally different.
"The thing is, players are tense enough as it is coming up to big tournaments like this. I experienced the tension of a big match alright, but of course the World Cup is at a whole different level.
"It's possible too that he was just under too much pressure. He's known now as the best player Ireland have ever had and that must be huge burden.
"But there are no winners now. Roy Keane doesn't come out of this smiling, nor does Mick McCarthy, nor does anyone in Ireland. Obviously there's been huge turmoil going on behind the scenes, but it's still too soon to blame anyone.
"It's sad to see it then, and I'd say the over-riding feeling now is frustration. But there may be some positives out of this, and sometimes teams can perform heroics when their backs are against the wall. And the Irish team definitely have their backs against the wall right now."