Manchester United footballer Roy Keane has been reported to the police by an MP after admitting he deliberately injured Manchester City's Alf-Inge Haaland.

Keane reveals in his autobiography that he took revenge on Haaland after a feud between the pair.

Colchester MP Bob Russell, the Liberal Democrat spokesman for sport, said that footballers should not be exempt from the law.

He has written to Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable David Wilmot urging him to investigate the incident, which happened at Manchester City's Maine Road ground in April 2001.

Bob Russell said football was not above the law

Keane said he fouled Haaland out of revenge for a flare up with the Norwegian when he played for Leeds United.

Now the incident has been reported, police will be obliged to investigate whether any charges can be laid against Keane.

Manchester City and Alf Inge Haaland are already planning to sue him.

And he may also be charged by the English Football Association for bringing the game into disrepute.

Mr Russell told BBC News Online he was worried the incident was "another example of football being exempt from the law".

He added: "Keane appears to be boasting about a pre-meditated assault at his place of work against another person.

"If anybody else carried out an assault that was filmed and subsequently admitted it was deliberate I would have thought the police would investigate.

'No vendetta'

"Why should the football pitch be deemed to be exempt from the laws of the land?"

He added: "We do not want football to stop being a contact sport, but this is different.

"This is not a vendetta against Roy Keane, it is part of a wider agenda."

Greater Manchester Police were unavailable for comment.