He kicked a fan, has no regrets and threatens: "I should have hit him harder"

More than 26 years have passed since that episode that toured the world, when Eric Cantona put aside his role as a footballer to bring out that of a martial arts fighter against a fan who was in the stands watching that duel between Crystal Palace and Manchester United. Since being stripped of the captaincy of France, he has been punished with two weeks in prison (translated into 120 hours of community service) and several months of suspension without ever stepping on the pitch. Those were the consequences of the terrible chest he threw at Matthew Simmons that January 25, 1995.

Now, in 2021, the former French footballer referred to that remembered aggression in the documentary The United Way, which reviews the history of the Manchester club and its main moments, and far from regretting it, he regretted not having applied more force to his hit.

“I was insulted thousands of times and I never reacted, but sometimes one is fragile”, explained the Frenchman and launched: “I only regret not having kicked him even harder. I was suspended without playing for nine months. They used me to set an example”. At that time, those present in Selhurst Park witnessed the brutality of the seven Red Devil, who was going to be expelled after beating Richard Shaw.

Faced with the rejection of the fans, he withdrew from the field to the side and the cameras followed him to the point of capturing that historic sequence in which he freed himself from the two security employees who were escorting him and with a great jump, over a railing, kicked the spectator in the chest.

For a long time, he was prohibited from participating in any football-related activity, including playing games with the reserve. However, in the middle of the sanction, a journalist caught him when he jumped onto the field to play a friendly match behind closed doors. “It was just a friendly match, but the journalist was on top of a tree outside and took a photo. He unfortunately he did not fall. The next day he was in the newspaper and the FA wanted to ban me even more”, he recalled.

"Sir Alex knew how to find the right words. He loved me and he always respected me. Like a father", Cantona acknowledged about his coach's reaction after watching the episode and added that the club also supported him by ignoring his behavior and renewing him shortly after: "Others would have fired me... That's the difference between United and the others".

In the same documentary, the Frenchman also referred to his sudden retirement from the courts at just 30 years old and "at the top" of his career, as he himself acknowledged. “As a child, soccer was my dream, but when that dream became routine, I didn't want to play anymore. He wanted to be honest with me, with the fans and with everyone. Also, there are many things to do in life and I had no time to waste. It was time to pass the baton on to the next generation”, he explained.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær spoke about that moment

In this context, it was the current Manchester United coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, who spoke about it from his point of view: “When the season ended, he rented a restaurant for me and Jordi Cruyff to go with him and our families. We had a great night, celebrating that we had won the League. Two days later, I heard on the radio that he had retired. He never said a word to us. We were partying until four in the morning and we went home. Not a word. That was Eric”.