Fifa vice-president goes on the offensive

SOCCER: The war of words between Roy Keane and Jack Warner has intensified with the Fifa vice-president responding to the Sunderland manager after the Irishman called him "a clown" this morning. In a second letter to the former Manchester United captain he criticises the Corkman for his part in the Saipan episode that saw him sit out the 2002 World Cup, while claiming Keane disrespects people from "small" countries.

Warner is special advisor to the Trinidad and Tobago FA and incurred Keane's wrath for writing an open letter to the Sunderland manager criticising his decision to withdraw Dwight Yorke from international duty.

The Sunderland responded, saying: "If he is vice-president of Fifa, then God help us", and added that he wrote letters on Fifa-headed writing paper "just to impress everybody".

Now Warner has retaliated with a new letter attacking Keane in a second letter to be made public.

Warner says: "The disrespectful tone of your reported comments further demonstrates the total disrespect that you and others of your ilk have generally for players and officials from 'small' countries.

"It is obviously difficult for you to accept the fact that someone from a 'small' country could rise to become a vice-president of Fifa.

"I chose to respond on a Fifa letter-head because that is a privilege afforded me owing to my said status and the fact that your callousness showed utter disregard for Fifa's regulations re the release of players for international duty. Regrettably, but not surprisingly, you did not grasp the message.

"In closing may I remind you that a player's greatest honour is to represent his country in spite of the fact that you chose to walk away from yours during the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup after publicly abusing your manager... indictment that you will no doubt be proud of up to today. Poor Sunderland."

Warner is no stranger to controversy and has been consistently in the headlines for the wrong reasons, most recently when he described England as an "irritant" that had contributed nothing to world football.