Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane was left out of the starting side but given a place among the substitutes for the Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland at Dublin's Lansdowne Road on Saturday after suffering a double family tragedy this week
Dublin: Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane was left out of the starting side but given a place among the substitutes for the Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland at Dublin's Lansdowne Road on Saturday after suffering a double family tragedy this week.
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Keane's cousin Alan Harris died on Wednesday after being overcome by toxic fumes while working in a sewer and the Ireland captain was still reeling from that horrific news when he discovered on Friday that Alan's brother Stephen had also died after the same incident.
The 34-year-old trained with the Ireland squad on Friday, but did not attend the Republic's pre-match press conference and manager Martin O'Neill revealed the LA Galaxy forward, who is his country's record goalscorer, had been deeply affected by the news.
"Obviously he feels for the family and he is quite down at the moment," O'Neill told reporters on Friday. Ireland would leapfrog the Scots, who currently sit in third place in Group D, with a victory in Dublin, but defeat would represent a massive blow to their hopes of qualification.
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