First look at Steve Coogan and Éanna Hardwick in World Cup drama Saipan

A FIRST look image has been released showing Steve Coogan and Éanna Hardwick in a new film depicting events relating to notorious incident at the 2002 World Cup.

Titled Saipan, the film tells the story of a public spat in May 2002 between the then Republic of Ireland national football team captain Roy Keane and its manager Mick McCarthy when the team was preparing for the competition in Saipan.

The row resulted in Keane being sent home from the squad - a move which divided public opinion.

Coogan stars as McCarthy and Cork-born Hardwicke plays Keane in the film, which is directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn.

An image from the set of the film, which is being filmed at locations across Ireland and Japan, was released this week.

“A million words have been written about what happened on that fateful week in 2002 on the tiny island of Saipan,” film producers Macdara Kelleher and John Keville, for Wild Atlantic Pictures, said.

“Next year audiences will finally get to experience first-hand the feud between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy and why it was labelled ‘the worst preparation for a World Cup campaign ever’.

“We are so excited to have Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn direct this iconic story with our equally iconic cast,” they added.

Wildcard and Vertigo Releasing have acquired UK and Ireland rights for the film, which is due to be released in cinemas in 2025.