Tom Humphries gives a detailed account of how nerves werefrayed on the other side of the world as often fevered efforts were being made up until the very end to bring Roy Keane back to the World CupMcCarthy agreed that if Keane would call him saying he wanted to play for him in the World Cup and just say that what he had said in the Saipan meeting was wrong, the affair would be considered over

As the Irish squad prepared to leave Izumo yesterday details began to emerge of the extraordinary behind-the-scenes efforts which went on this week to persuade Roy Keane to come back to the World Cup. The squad leaves today for Niigata and tomorrow's business with Cameroon and if they do so without Roy Keane it wasn't for want of effort in the end.

Long after a statement from the players apparently closing the door on any return for Keane had been released prematurely on Wednesday fevered negotiations continued behind the scenes and had progressed to the point where there was a jet ready and waiting at Manchester Airport to bring Keane back to the World Cup.

After a team meeting on Wednesday morning it was agreed among the players that if nothing had been agreed that day and Mick McCarthy opted to put an end to the process they would release a statement to be read out after an evening press conference from McCarthy effectively supporting him and closing the door on any reconciliation.

Having agreed this the players wrote out a short statement at the back of the team bus on the way to training. This was then given to FAI officials to be printed up.

But in an almost comical misunderstanding which almost derailed the entire process, the FAI officials decided that with McCarthy having diplomatically postponed his morning press conference till the evening when there might be a result to report they would fill the void themselves by holding a press conference and releasing the players' statement themselves.

Shorn of the context of a prior announcement from McCarthy ending the process the statement embarrassed everyone.

It looked as if McCarthy, who had offered an olive branch hours earlier, was badly out of step with his players and the statement undermined appeasement attempts in Manchester.

Niall Quinn then put in a hasty phone call to Keane's agent Michael Kennedy, who was negotiating at the Manchester end, asking him to explain to Keane the extent of the misunderstanding in Izumo and to disregard the sentiments. As far as the players were concerned a deal was still on the table.

Keane was being subjected to heavy-duty influences in his Cheshire home. JP McManus and Alex Ferguson were among those involved at this stage. As efforts at persuasion progressed through very early morning in England events moved on in Japan.

Quinn and several other players had a scheduled 5 o'clock press conference to attend and had to stand up that morning's statement somehow. At 5.30 Quinn appeared on his own at the media centre having been assured that the deal was finally dead. Drained and a little emotional he gave a long and detailed account of practically everything which had gone on, left and took a car back to the team hotel.

There was a message for Quinn from Michael Kennedy when he arrived there. A deal was back on. Quinn went to speak to Mick McCarthy, who was sick of the whole affair by now. The pair spoke for 45 minutes and both, sleepless and tired after several days of pressure, cried in the course of the meeting. Eventually McCarthy agreed that if Keane would call him saying he wanted to play for him in the World Cup and just say that what he had said in the infamous meeting in Saipan was wrong, then the affair would be considered over.

This was relayed to Kennedy, who passed it onto Keane and hopes of a resolution soared. McCarthy departed for a press conference at the Izumo Dome Press Centre which, with so much happening behind the scenes, descended into farce as McCarthy sought to explain certain aspects of his own behaviour and FAI secretary Brendan Menton endeavoured to keep the deal alive by putting a lid on things.

All to no avail, however. The call from Keane never came. Proud and wounded, Ireland's greatest player couldn't bring himself to walk that final step. And so 22 players travel to Niigata today, leaving a spare seat in first class.