Roy Keane found himself in hot water with his Sunderland squad after a bet he made following a costly mistake by Craig Gordon. Back in 2007, Keane splurged £9million on signing Gordon, who ended up struggling with injuries during his time with the Black Cats before moving on to Celtic and finally back to Hearts.
The incident that sparked the bet happened during a pre-season friendly in Portugal, where Gordon was beaten by a 40-yard free-kick. Keane, in an attempt to lighten the mood, challenged his keepers to a free-kick challenge the next day. The rules were simple: from 25 yards out, if any player scored, they would receive £1000, but if they missed, they owed Keane £100.
To Keane’s surprise, eight or nine players lined up to take a shot at goal, with Gordon among them. Despite his fears of losing a significant amount of money, none of the players managed to score against a goalkeeper determined to prove a point. However, the lack of enthusiasm from the players to pay up and the tension that lingered after the bet led to a strained atmosphere within the squad.
Despite the good intentions behind the bet, Keane realized too late that it may have cost him the respect and trust of his players. As he demanded his owed money at half-time of a subsequent friendly match, he couldn’t help but wonder if his attempt at camaraderie had ultimately backfired.
