This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Roy Keane, the former footballer who is now assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland team, has launched a legal action against the bookmaker Paddy Power.

He objects to the use of his image on a billboard poster in which he was portrayed as the William Wallace, as played by Mel Gibson in the film Braveheart.

Paddy Power mounted the billboard on a truck that was driven around Dublin and then parked putside the stadium on the day of Ireland’s European championship qualifier against Scotland last month.

It carried a message taunting Scottish fans: “You may take our points - but at least we have our freedom... (ya wee pussies)”. It was a reference to the Scots having rejected independence in last year’s referendum.

Independent Sport (@IndoSport) Roy Keane suing Paddy Power over Braveheart poster for Ireland vs Scotland match pic.twitter.com/Fzhu0OflHn

Keane’s lawyers filed a Dublin high court action on Monday which claims tens of thousands of euros in compensation on the grounds that the billboard infringed his image rights. According to an Irish Independent report, the bookmaker could face a bill of €100,000 if Keane wins the case.



A spokesman for Paddy Power, as quoted by the Irish Times, said the matter “is with the lawyers, so obviously we can’t talk about it, but hopefully they won’t take our freedom to have a bit of craic.”



Paddy Power has a record of provocative publicity stunts. Ahead of Ireland’s game against England on 6 June, it bubble-wrapped one of its Dublin shops and issued a press stating it was “yob-proofing... in hope of avoiding any damage that may come from violent yobs, knobs and hooligans who may infiltrate the Three Lions’ well-meaning travelling support”.

Sources: Irish Times/Irish Independent/Irish Daily Star

