what about leaving Keane on the bench was causing too much of a distraction than it was worth?
No mate. In Spain the cameras enter even the dressrooms, they are taking images of the training sessions, when two team mates fight they record it and broadcast it in the national tv news 2 hours later.
Tons of rumours going on here for Raul or whoever star being subbed, and never a situation like that forced a strange departure like this in the middle of the season and no replacement. Substitution of stars always carry distractions, and I have seen bigger stars than Keane as a sub.
Unprecedented, and I thought that in Spain I've seen everything that could be seen. Have you seen a coach, sacked the first day in charge? I have. But never anything like this.