A Hindu leader has criticised Roy Keane for blaming yoga for his “worst ever” football performance.
The Cork man said he tried yoga for the first time a few days before Manchester United faced Real Madrid in 2003.
Keane said he didn't have much energy for the match.
He made the comments in an interview with former teammate Gary Neville on Sky Sport’s The Overlap.
“We played Real Madrid one time at home, but I just tried yoga a couple of days before that, and I couldn’t get going,” he said.
“My energy... I couldn’t get a kick. I was taken off, and I remember thinking ‘I’m finished with real top level football’.”
The comments angered Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who lives in Nevada in the United States.
Blaming yoga was “quite out of line”, he said.
Mr Zed, who is president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, said Keane needed to “wake up” and give yoga another chance.
“He was clearly doing a disservice to himself if not fully availing the valuable opportunities yoga provided,” he said.
Mr Zed also pointed to comments from President Michael D Higgins, who previously said he would like to see yoga taught in Irish schools.
Keane has previously spoken positively about yoga.
In 2005, he told the Manchester Evening News that he had been doing yoga with teammates.
“Myself, Giggsy and David Bellion do it and I think it has been a good help to us.”
