Roy Keane and Alf Inge Haaland have dragged one of English football’s most notorious personal feuds back into the spotlight after England’s dramatic World Cup victory over Norway sparked another furious exchange.
Roy Keane (left) and Erling Haaland’s dad, Alf Inge (right), have reignited their 30-year feud
The two first clashed in their playing days, with each player injuring the other in a series of heated confrontations
The row began after Norway’s 2-1 defeat, a match that left many Norwegian supporters angry over several key decisions. Alf Inge Haaland, father of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, posted online that Norway had been beaten by ‘Bellingham and the referee’ and suggested his country had been robbed after a VAR call went against his son.
The flashpoint came when Norway thought they had scored a second goal, only for the effort to be ruled out after Erling Haaland was judged to have fouled England midfielder Elliot Anderson in the build-up. For Haaland Sr, the decision was enough to trigger frustration. For Keane, it was another opportunity to aim a sharp comment at an old rival.
Speaking on Stick to Football, the former Manchester United captain suggested that Haaland Sr’s view of the game may have been influenced by emotion, then added a bizarre dig about alcohol, claiming the Norwegian ‘always seems to be drinking’ at matches. Keane argued that anyone watching after a drink might see events differently.
That remark immediately reopened memories of a feud that stretches back nearly 30 years. Keane and Haaland Sr first clashed in 1997, when Keane tore his ACL while attempting a tackle. Haaland, then playing for Leeds, stood over him and appeared to accuse him of exaggerating the injury. The incident stayed with Keane for years.
In 2001, their rivalry exploded again when Keane delivered a notorious knee-high challenge on Haaland, then playing for Manchester City. Keane was sent off and the episode became one of the defining images of the Premier League’s most hostile era.
Decades later, the bitterness has clearly not disappeared. After Keane’s comments spread online, Haaland Sr reportedly hit back with a brutal insult on social media, writing: ‘Once a p***k always a p***k.’ The comment was later deleted, but not before it had been widely shared by fans.
Keane insisted he was only giving an honest assessment of the referee’s performance. Even though he jokingly admitted that he is often inclined to go against England in tight calls, he said the foul on Anderson was clear. According to Keane, Norway could debate some decisions, but they could not reasonably claim that the referee had cost them the match.
Gary Neville took a similar view, saying he did not feel England had been especially lucky because of the officiating. Ian Wright also questioned whether Haaland Sr’s post was simply a case of sour grapes after a painful World Cup exit.
The wider argument, however, will not disappear quickly. Norway were devastated after pushing England close, while Haaland was unable to deliver the decisive moment his country needed. England moved into the semi-finals, Jude Bellingham became the hero again, and the debate around refereeing only grew louder.
For Keane and Haaland Sr, the World Cup drama has become personal history repeating itself. What began as anger over a VAR call has turned into another chapter in a feud that football fans never seem to forget.
The rivalry once belonged to a bruising Premier League past. Now, through Erling Haaland, England’s World Cup run and one explosive social media reply, it has found a new stage all over again.
