Former Republic of Ireland international Ray Houghton has urged the present squad to concentrate on their opening World Cup game with Cameroon on Saturday. Houghton believes the players have to turn their minds to playing football after the disruption of the Roy Keane saga. Keane finally turned his back on the squad last night when he said he was not going to fly back to Japan. Keane had been offered the chance to return to the fold by manager Mick McCarthy who said he was willing to accept an apology from his former captain. "Now the players can concentrate on the game in hand," Houghton told Sky Sports News. "It was only a week or so before the first game when this happened, the timing was bad. "We have got to forget about it as best we can. "The players have got to go out and do their best." But Houghton admitted it would be hard for the players without their inspirational skipper. "There are a lot of players there who are crying out for some leadership. "Mick (McCarthy) can give it to them off the pitch but they need it on the pitch. "We've got some very good players there who have got to go out and shine." Houghton's former international team-mate Frank Stapleton felt the whole affair could have been handled better by the Irish FA. He told RTE: "I don't think the players should ever really have a say in what really is a Management decision. The FAI, on the other hand have been conspicuous by their absence. All they have done is say to Mick, 'we'll back you whatever you want to do' and it got more confrontational as it went along. "That didn't help the situation. They needed somebody, a leader, and there doesn't seem to be anybody in the FAI capable of doing that. "All they've done really is fuel the flames instead of pacify and try and get people together. Despite all that's been said there had to have been a compromise somewhere along the way." | 
