Football : Roy Keane Accepts Apology From Major Shareholder Of Sunderland AFC Following Inaccurate Comments

Roy Keane, who last week left his managerial role at Sunderland Association Football Club, has received an unconditional apology from Ellis Short, the largest single shareholder at the club.

It follows inaccurate and inappropriate comments made by his associate, Per-Magnus Andersson, president of Kitano Capital, the American asset management company. Those comments, made to a Swedish website, were reported in The Guardian [6 December] and subsequently repeated elsewhere.

In addition to the apology, a statement has been posted on the official Sunderland AFC website in which Ellis Short disassociates himself and the club with comments made by one of his advisers. He said: “I have nothing but admiration for Roy Keane and am grateful for all he has done for the club and I wish him well for the future.”

Richard Bevan, LMA chief executive, said: “This attack on Roy by Per-Magnus Andersson was completely inaccurate and inappropriate. I’m delighted that Ellis Short chose to apologise so promptly.

“As a player, Roy Keane excelled in many pressurised situations and had enormous success, especially during an eight year period as captain of Manchester United Football Club and a 14 year period playing for the Republic of Ireland.

“During his 27 months at Sunderland AFC, and in his first managerial role, Roy made a huge impact. He joined the club after their very disappointing start to the 2006 season, where they had been four matches without a win and were knocked out of the Carling Cup by Bury FC. Roy quickly lifted them from the bottom of the Championship and into the Barclays Premier League, where they consolidated their position last season.

“During his playing career he started work on and completed his B and A licenses and he then achieved his UEFA pro-license. Following this spell at Sunderland, he is very much on the road to learning his trade as a top level manager. I know that Roy now looks forward to securing his next managerial challenge.”

Roy Keane said: “I am grateful to the club, players and fans at Sunderland, and most especially the staff, for their support during my first management appointment. I have experienced and learnt a tremendous amount in the last 27 months and enjoyed the rigours of being a manager. I look forward to building on those experiences and sometime in the future returning to football management.”