A decades-old rivalry between former Manchester United captain Roy Keane and Erling Haaland's father, Alf Inge Haaland, has resurfaced following Norway's elimination from the World Cup. The dispute escalated after Haaland Sr publicly criticized the refereeing in Norway's match against England, suggesting his team was "robbed."
Keane, speaking on the show "Stick to Football," responded to Haaland Sr's comments by suggesting that alcohol might have affected his perception of the game. "Because he always seems to be drinking alcohol at the matches," Keane stated, adding, "If you're having a drink then you're seeing the game differently."
Haaland Sr, a former Premier League player for clubs including Manchester City and Leeds United, took to X (formerly Twitter) to comment on a post discussing Keane's remarks. He reportedly wrote, "Once a pk always a pk," a sentiment that reignites a feud dating back to 1997. Their initial clash occurred when Keane suffered an ACL injury attempting to tackle Haaland Sr, who appeared to question the severity of the injury at the time.
Their on-field confrontations continued, notably in 2001 when Keane received a red card for a knee-high challenge on Haaland Sr. The animosity between the two has persisted for over 30 years.
In the recent World Cup match, Haaland Sr had initially posted congratulations to Jude Bellingham and the referee, but he also claimed that French referee Clement Turpin wrongly disallowed a second goal for Norway. The decision was made after a VAR review determined that Haaland Jr had fouled Elliot Anderson.
Keane, however, maintained his assessment of the referee's performance, jokingly referencing a potential anti-England bias. He explained that while he might lean against England in a 50-50 call, "the push is a push." He also acknowledged that families and players can be emotional after games but suggested that a dispassionate review would not solely blame the referee for the outcome.
Fellow pundits Gary Neville and Ian Wright also weighed in. Neville agreed with Keane, stating he did not believe England were fortunate due to the referee's decisions in that particular match, contrasting it with a prior game where he felt they were lucky. Wright questioned whether Haaland Sr's comments were "sour grapes" and described his remarks as a "low blow." Alf Inge Haaland has since deleted his comment from the social media post.
