Ireland's record goalscorer spoke out on Rio Ferdinand's podcast after he received heavy criticism for not leaving the Israeli club until the summer
Robbie Keane has defended his decision to remain on as Maccabi Tel Aviv boss until June - and revealed his turned down a "big contract" to extend his stay.
But Ireland's record caps winner and goalscorer has received criticism in his own country for staying on with Maccabi after Israel invaded Gaza 13 months ago - criticism that raged again after it was revealed Keane was invited to hand out caps before Ireland's Nations League clash with Finland last week.
"At the end of the day, I’m a football manager and my staff have got people to look after," he said. "I have got a duty of care. Let’s make it clear, obviously there has been a lot of stuff going on. I resigned at the end of the season from my post at Maccabi Tel Aviv. When it did happen , we left . "My analyst for example, he has got a mortgage, a family and kids he has to feed. The decision just to step away from something, it’s not just my decision, it’s everybody else's decision, which was tough.
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