There are sporting deaths that produce straightforward tributes and there are sporting deaths that arrive two days after the FA president watched England lose to Argentina in a World Cup semifinal that ended with a Falklands sovereignty banner on the pitch, and Kevin Keegan’s death at 75 on Monday is the second kind, requiring William to issue a tribute to one of England’s most beloved footballers while the Falklands complaint his government filed with FIFA remains unresolved and Argentina are in the World Cup final on Sunday.
William, who has served as President of the Football Association since 2006, posted on the official Kensington Royal account: “Incredibly saddened to hear of the passing of Kevin Keegan. A truly remarkable footballer and manager who inspired generations with his talent, passion and love of the game. Above all, he will be remembered as a kind and generous man. Our thoughts are with his family and all who knew him.” The Football Association’s England account added that it was “incredibly saddened” by the news, which is the institutional language of loss deployed by the organisation whose president had watched England go out on Wednesday.
Keegan, who died after receiving treatment for an undisclosed condition, earned 63 caps for England and scored 21 international goals, which is a record whose specificity reflects the way that England football supporters retain statistics about their former players with a precision that does not translate into tournament results. As a manager, he took Newcastle United from the First Division to runners-up in the Premier League in 1995-96, famously losing a 12-point lead to Manchester United in a title race that concluded with Keegan delivering a television interview in which he said “I would love it if we beat them, love it,” which is now the sentence most associated with him and which he delivered while visibly distressed in a way that made him more beloved rather than less.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair paid tribute, describing Keegan as “an extraordinary talent as a player.” The FA offered condolences. William led the official royal response. England are out of the World Cup. The Falklands complaint is with FIFA. Argentina play Spain on Sunday.
When the FA president leads tributes to England’s most beloved football manager two days after watching England eliminated and two days before Argentina play the World Cup final, what exactly is the timing doing?
Sources
GB News: Prince William leads tributes to ‘remarkable’ football legend Kevin Keegan
