Police in Britain are investigating an attack on the home of Irish international and Manchester United captain Roy Keane.
A cache of industrial fireworks was set alight outside the £1.4m (€2m) mock-Tudor mansion in the upmarket Manchester suburb of Hale at about 7.15am on Sunday morning.
The crate containing the fireworks was also daubed with racist graffiti.
The Corkman is believed to have been inside with his pregnant wife Theresa and four children at the time of the incident.
Keane’s house is protected by a high security fence and wrought iron gates, and there was no damage to his property, police said.
A neighbour alerted police and the fire brigade was called but flames ignited after the fireworks were set off had already gone out.
A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said: “The fireworks were in a crate which had been daubed with language of a racist and abusive nature. Inquiries are continuing.”
The incident came days after Keane appeared in court to deny charges of common assault and criminal damage following a row near his home with a 16-year-old boy.