sports
January 22, 2026
‘The emotion you get from the game is insane’: the Roy Keane bust-up film leading a new type of football movie
Saipan, about Keane’s infamous World Cup row with manager Mick McCarthy, has become a hit film in its native Ireland – as it opens in the UK screenwriter Paul Fraser explains how he aimed to avoid the mistakes of the past
TL;DR
- The film 'Saipan' focuses on the fallout between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy at the 2002 World Cup, exploring themes of masculinity and Irish identity rather than the sport itself.
- Screenwriter Paul Fraser believes the intense emotional experience of live football is hard to translate to film, making football movies challenging to make successful.
- Fraser suggests that focusing on personal narratives of players, such as Keane or Paul Gascoigne, is a more viable approach for football-related films than depicting game action.
- Previous attempts at football films, like an early collaboration between Fraser and Shane Meadows, proved difficult to translate onto screen visually.
- Stephen Glynn notes a rise in football films since the 1990s, correlating with a more middle-class interest in the sport, but acknowledges a string of 21st-century 'clangers'.
- Compelling football documentaries have succeeded where narrative films have struggled, effectively capturing both the personalities of players and the on-field action.
- Challenges in football filmmaking include accurately depicting match action, as most footballers cannot act convincingly, and managing audience expectations regarding factual accuracy.
- 'Saipan' has faced criticism for its perceived looseness with facts, particularly regarding the level of drinking in the Irish camp.
- Fraser intentionally avoided speaking to individuals involved in the 2002 event to maintain creative freedom, viewing the film as a 'made-up story' prioritizing narrative over strict accuracy.
- The film aims to resonate with non-football audiences by emphasizing the human drama beneath the conflict between the two athletes.
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