Few Irish people will ever forget Saipan, May 2002 and the biggest ever bust-up in Irish soccer. But how many knew what actually happened on that tiny island in the Pacific? How did it come to pass that captain and best player Roy Keane was sent packing from the World Cup by manager Mick McCarthy, just nine days before the opening match?

Based on Red Mist: Roy Keane and The Irish World Cup Blues – A Fan’s Story by Conor O’Callaghan, the film interweaves comic animation (voiced by Ned Dennehy, Ruth Negga, Mario  Rosenstock and others), news film and interviews with Eamon Dunphy, Tommie Gorman, Marian Finucane to capture the traumatised state of the nation during that unforgettable week.

This screening will be followed by a Q&A with Éamon Little and Conor O’Callaghan, hosted by Luke McManus.

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Check out the full fixtures of football on film this January at the IFI!

Saipan (Dir. Glenn Leyburn & Lisa Barros D’sa, 2025)
A blistering retelling of the Roy Keane/Mick McCarthy 2002 World Cup face-off with star-turns from Éanna Hardwicke and Steve Coogan.

Archive at Lunchtime: Film Scores!
Enjoy two programmes of FREE lunchtime screenings featuring the tribulations of the childhood football pitch.

Paris 75: The European Cup Final Football Tried To Forget (Dir. Harvey Marcus, 2025)
A compelling documentary following Leeds United in the controversial 1975 European Cup final against Bayern Munich. Screening Saturday 3 January at 16:10.