Sama da shekaru biyu sun wuce tun da yakin gwamnatin Jamhuriyar Ireland a Kofin Duniya 2002 ya fashe cikin yanayi mai ban mamaki, amma lamarin Saipan ya ƙi ɓacewa daga tunawa da ƙwallon ƙafa. Faɗan da ya taso tsakanin maneja Mick McCarthy da kyaftin Roy Keane ya kasance daya daga cikin fitinar farkon gasar da ta fi zafi a tarihin wasan — har aka sakin fim ɗin labarin shekara ta gabata.

Matt Holland, ɗan wasan tsakiya wanda ya buga wa Ipswich da Charlton kuma ya kasance wani ɓangare na tawagar McCarthy a wannan bazara, ya yi magana a sarari da FourFourTwo game da wannan lamari da abin da ya nufa ga dama ta Ireland a Japan da Koriya ta Kudu.

Rashin Keane na ci gaba da jin zafi

"A wancan lokaci, Roy shi ne ɗan wasan guda ɗaya da kowace ƙasa a Kofin Duniya za ta zaɓa daga tawagar mu," Holland ya shaida wa mujallar. "Don haka wani lokaci na yi mamakin abin da da mun cim mawa da ya kasance, amma mun nuna kwarewa duk da haka."

Gasar Holland kanta cike take da sauyi mai yawa. Ya zura ƙwallon cikin raga a nasara ta 1-1 da Ireland ta yi da Cameroon a matakin kungiyoyi — ƙwallo da ya bayyana a matsayin daya daga cikin muhimman lokutan aikinsa — kafin ya sha azabar rasa fenariti a harbin ƙwallo na matakin 16 da Spain.

Ƙwallon wasa da fenariti da aka rasa

"Muna da ƴan wasan nagari da kyakkyawan haɗin kai, kuma mun haɗu don nuna wasa mai kyau," in ji shi. "A haƙiƙa har yanzu ina da ƙwallon wasan Cameroon. Likitan jikinmu, Mick Byrne, ya ɓuye shi a ƙarshen wasa, ya ɓuya shi a ƙarƙashin rigarsa, ya ba ni shi a ɗakin maye. Buga Kofin Duniya abu ne mai ban mamaki, amma zura ƙwallo wani abu ne na musamman."

Nauyin ji na wannan ƙwallo ya ƙara zurfafa saboda iyalinsa sun kasance a filin kallo. Dukkan iyalin Holland sun halarci wasan, ciki har da marigayin mahaifinsa — wani tunawa da ya ci gaba da taɓa ransa.

"Duk iyalina suna can, ciki har da marigayin babana. Har yanzu jikina yana yin tsauni idan na yi tunani game da hakan," in ji shi. "Kuma sau da yawa ina tunanin fenariti da na rasa. Ban kasance maharin fenariti na dā ba kuma na harbi takwas kawai a rayuwata ta aikin — duka a hannun-hannun fenariti — amma na ɗaya kawai da na rasa shi ne na Kofin Duniya."

Ga masu son Ireland, yaƙin 2002 ya kasance haɗuwar ban mamaki na alfahari da nadama: wata tawaga da ta yi fafutukar zuwa matakin 16 ba tare da ɗan wasanta mafi tasiri ba, ta ci gaba da mamakin abin da kasancewar Keane da ya kai su.