This Sunday, a man called Matthew Simmons may reflect on the night that he went to a football match and got kicked in the chest by one of the modern era’s greatest-ever players.
In a corner of France, or maybe California, Eric Cantona may not even notice that it is 20 years since his moment of kung fu madness, which put him and English football on the front pages.
January 25, 1995, was a chilly Wednesday night at Selhurst Park, as Manchester United came to south London seeking a win over Crystal Palace that would keep them on track for three Premier League titles in a row. Sir Alex Ferguson had just spent a record £7 million on Andy Cole, and hopes were high that Cole and Cantona would become an unstoppable force.
Former England winger John Salako was in the Crystal Palace team that night and remembers it well: "Whenever the big teams came to Selhurst Park, our manager, Alan Smith, would make sure every opposition player was tightly man-marked. He set us up that night to be determined and aggressive to meet the test that Manchester United would provide.
"Nobody did that better than our centre-back Richard Shaw, who followed Eric Cantona around all over the pitch and made sure he knew he was there. Richard stuck to Eric like a rash. He had a job to do on Eric, and he did it so well. You could see that Eric was getting incredibly wound up."
Shaw and Cantona niggled at each other for the whole first half without punishment from referee Alan Wilkie, and the two teams went in at half-time goalless. But just three minutes after the break, Cantona’s patience snapped.
He was about to be sent off for the fifth time in English football, but thanks to what followed, the dismissal itself is not really remembered.
As Shaw and Cantona chased after a lengthy clearance from Peter Schmeichel, the Frenchman aimed a sly kick at Shaw’s shin. Shaw went down, and aided by his assistant, Eddie Walsh (gloriously still called a linesman in 1995), Wilkie immediately brandished a red card towards the Red Devils’ No. 7.
But that’s not what made headlines around the world.Salako takes up the story: "I was aware of Shaw going down. I was on the left wing, away from the incident, but I turned around to see Cantona at boiling point. He was staring into the distance, collar up as usual. And then, within seconds, he’s launched himself into the crowd with a kung fu kick (not a very good one by the way) and is throwing some punches.
"It was a surreal, weird moment. We’ve had [Zinedine] Zidane’s head-butt on Marco Materazzi since then and Luis Suarez’s bite on Giorgio Chiellini, but for a player to attack a fan?"I’d never seen anything like it and haven’t since. I remember our striker Chris Armstrong was first on the scene. He sprinted over to get involved, I think, but then thought better of it as Cantona was led away by the United kitman and Peter Schmeichel."
The provocateur was Matthew Simmons, a 20-year-old from Croydon, who had run down the stand shouting foul abuse at Cantona and telling him to "f--k off back to France," per The Guardian.
A posse of Man United players converged on the scene of the crime before police and stewards restored order. Further down the touchline, a drink was thrown at Cantona as he was escorted off the pitch. Play eventually resumed, and the match finished 1-1, with David May scoring his first goal for Manchester United and Gareth Southgate equalising for Crystal Palace.
"I can remember getting back into the dressing room,” says Salako, per ESPN. "And Alan just said, 'No one make any comment on that incident—just let them deal with it."
Cantona was arrested and convicted for assault, initially resulting in a two-week prison sentence. This was overturned in the appeal court, and instead he was sentenced to 120 hours of community service. The Football Association effectively forced Manchester United to fine Cantona £20,000 and suspend him for the remaining four months of the 94/95 season, as per BBC Sport.
The FA then increased the ban to eight months and fined him a further £10,000, with the governing body’s chief executive, Graham Kelly, describing the incident as "a stain on our game," as per the The New York Times. Cantona was also stripped of the French captaincy and would never play for France again.
Without Cantona in their ranks, Manchester United lost the Premier League title to Blackburn Rovers in a duel that went to the wire, but they came storming back to win another league and cup double the following season, with you-know-who scoring a last-minute winner in the FA Cup final and being awarded the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year.
Crystal Palace reached the semi-finals of both cup competitions in 94/95, but they were relegated on the final day of the season.A short time after the kung fu kick, Cantona secured his notoriety by producing one of the most famous quotations in sporting press conference history. He enigmatically stated that, "When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea," before rising from seat and leaving.
“Oh, that was incredible”, reflects Salako 20 years on, “I totally got what he meant…the seagulls were the press, following the trawler for rich pickings. He was the biggest player in football at the time as far as I was concerned, and those kind of stories are gold dust, producing reams and reams of column inches, but that just showed where Eric was: He lived on a different level to everyone else.
"I think he was a deep thinker, a little bit of a philosopher in his own way as he’s gone on to prove since he left football. That’s probably why it happened really…you talk about flawed genius. You aren’t automatically going to be a good role model just because you’re a footballer.
"I often think that when you have a certain level of genius, there are often flaws that go with it, and you’ll do things that amaze or disappoint people…that is part of the curiosity.
"At the time I actually thought his ban was too much…it wasn’t a premeditated assault, it was completely reactive. You have to go out and win games whatever it takes. You have to win the battle and live and breathe it. You’re fired up, and there are guys that take it further than that.
"However, there is a point you shouldn’t go beyond on the football field. When I was a winger, I would get kicked all over the park. I became much more aggressive when I moved from winger to full-back, and I shocked myself occasionally, looking opponents in the eye and saying things to them.
"I sometimes got dog’s abuse from the terraces. It was quite awful at some away grounds, especially when I was younger. It was very aggressive, almost bordering on violence, and you wanted to react but there has to be a mechanism where you deal with that.
"Footballers live in a very privileged world and do one of the best jobs in the world, and that has to stay at the forefront of their mind. Eric at the time was old enough and wise enough not to get involved in that situation. But we’re only human beings and the more intensely wrapped up you are in what you’re doing, the more likely it is that something like that will happen. I thought it was a severe sentence."
This Sunday, a man called Matthew Simmons may reflect on the night that he went to a football match and got kicked in the chest by one of the modern era’s greatest-ever players.
In a corner of France, or maybe California, Eric Cantona may not even notice that it is 20 years since his moment of kung fu madness, which put him and English football on the front pages.
January 25, 1995, was a chilly Wednesday night at Selhurst Park, asManchester United came to south London seeking a win over Crystal Palace that would keep them on track for three Premier League titles in a row. Sir Alex Ferguson had just spent a record £7 million on Andy Cole, and hopes were high that Cole and Cantona would become an unstoppable force.
Former England winger John Salako was in the Crystal Palace team that night and remembers it well: "Whenever the big teams came to Selhurst Park, our manager, Alan Smith, would make sure every opposition player was tightly man-marked. He set us up that night to be determined and aggressive to meet the test that Manchester United would provide.
"Nobody did that better than our centre-back Richard Shaw, who followed Eric Cantona around all over the pitch and made sure he knew he was there. Richard stuck to Eric like a rash. He had a job to do on Eric, and he did it so well. You could see that Eric was getting incredibly wound up."
Shaw and Cantona niggled at each other for the whole first half without punishment from referee Alan Wilkie, and the two teams went in at half-time goalless. But just three minutes after the break, Cantona’s patience snapped.
He was about to be sent off for the fifth time in English football, but thanks to what followed, the dismissal itself is not really remembered.
As Shaw and Cantona chased after a lengthy clearance from Peter Schmeichel, the Frenchman aimed a sly kick at Shaw’s shin. Shaw went down, and aided by his assistant, Eddie Walsh (gloriously still called a linesman in 1995), Wilkie immediately brandished a red card towards the Red Devils’ No. 7.
But that’s not what made headlines around the world.
Salako takes up the story: "I was aware of Shaw going down. I was on the left wing, away from the incident, but I turned around to see Cantona at boiling point. He was staring into the distance, collar up as usual. And then, within seconds, he’s launched himself into the crowd with a kung fu kick (not a very good one by the way) and is throwing some punches.
"It was a surreal, weird moment. We’ve had [Zinedine] Zidane’s head-butt on Marco Materazzi since then and Luis Suarez’s bite on Giorgio Chiellini, but for a player to attack a fan?
"I’d never seen anything like it and haven’t since. I remember our striker Chris Armstrong was first on the scene. He sprinted over to get involved, I think, but then thought better of it as Cantona was led away by the United kitman and Peter Schmeichel."
The provocateur was Matthew Simmons, a 20-year-old from Croydon, who had run down the stand shouting foul abuse at Cantona and telling him to "f--k off back to France," per The Guardian.
A posse of Man United players converged on the scene of the crime before police and stewards restored order. Further down the touchline, a drink was thrown at Cantona as he was escorted off the pitch. Play eventually resumed, and the match finished 1-1, with David May scoring his first goal for Manchester United and Gareth Southgate equalising for Crystal Palace.
"I can remember getting back into the dressing room,” says Salako, perESPN. "And Alan just said, 'No one make any comment on that incident—just let them deal with it."
Cantona was arrested and convicted for assault, initially resulting in a two-week prison sentence. This was overturned in the appeal court, and instead he was sentenced to 120 hours of community service. The Football Association effectively forced Manchester United to fine Cantona £20,000 and suspend him for the remaining four months of the 94/95 season, as per BBC Sport.
The FA then increased the ban to eight months and fined him a further £10,000, with the governing body’s chief executive, Graham Kelly, describing the incident as "a stain on our game," as per the The New York Times. Cantona was also stripped of the French captaincy and would never play for France again.
Without Cantona in their ranks, Manchester United lost the Premier League title to Blackburn Rovers in a duel that went to the wire, but they came storming back to win another league and cup double the following season, with you-know-who scoring a last-minute winner in the FA Cup final and being awarded the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year.
Crystal Palace reached the semi-finals of both cup competitions in 94/95, but they were relegated on the final day of the season.
A short time after the kung fu kick, Cantona secured his notoriety by producing one of the most famous quotations in sporting press conference history. He enigmatically stated that, "When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea," before rising from seat and leaving.
“Oh, that was incredible”, reflects Salako 20 years on, “I totally got what he meant…the seagulls were the press, following the trawler for rich pickings. He was the biggest player in football at the time as far as I was concerned, and those kind of stories are gold dust, producing reams and reams of column inches, but that just showed where Eric was: He lived on a different level to everyone else.
"I think he was a deep thinker, a little bit of a philosopher in his own way as he’s gone on to prove since he left football. That’s probably why it happened really…you talk about flawed genius. You aren’t automatically going to be a good role model just because you’re a footballer.
"I often think that when you have a certain level of genius, there are often flaws that go with it, and you’ll do things that amaze or disappoint people…that is part of the curiosity.
"At the time I actually thought his ban was too much…it wasn’t a premeditated assault, it was completely reactive. You have to go out and win games whatever it takes. You have to win the battle and live and breathe it. You’re fired up, and there are guys that take it further than that.
"However, there is a point you shouldn’t go beyond on the football field. When I was a winger, I would get kicked all over the park. I became much more aggressive when I moved from winger to full-back, and I shocked myself occasionally, looking opponents in the eye and saying things to them.
"I sometimes got dog’s abuse from the terraces. It was quite awful at some away grounds, especially when I was younger. It was very aggressive, almost bordering on violence, and you wanted to react but there has to be a mechanism where you deal with that.
"Footballers live in a very privileged world and do one of the best jobs in the world, and that has to stay at the forefront of their mind. Eric at the time was old enough and wise enough not to get involved in that situation. But we’re only human beings and the more intensely wrapped up you are in what you’re doing, the more likely it is that something like that will happen. I thought it was a severe sentence."
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2336030-20-years-on-ex-palace-star-john-salako-remembers-eric-cantonas-kung-fu-kick
This Sunday, a man called Matthew Simmons may reflect on the night that he went to a football match and got kicked in the chest by one of the modern era’s greatest-ever players.
In a corner of France, or maybe California, Eric Cantona may not even notice that it is 20 years since his moment of kung fu madness, which put him and English football on the front pages.
January 25, 1995, was a chilly Wednesday night at Selhurst Park, as Manchester United came to south London seeking a win over Crystal Palace that would keep them on track for three Premier League titles in a row. Sir Alex Ferguson had just spent a record £7 million on Andy Cole, and hopes were high that Cole and Cantona would become an unstoppable force.
Former England winger John Salako was in the Crystal Palace team that night and remembers it well: "Whenever the big teams came to Selhurst Park, our manager, Alan Smith, would make sure every opposition player was tightly man-marked. He set us up that night to be determined and aggressive to meet the test that Manchester United would provide.
"Nobody did that better than our centre-back Richard Shaw, who followed Eric Cantona around all over the pitch and made sure he knew he was there. Richard stuck to Eric like a rash. He had a job to do on Eric, and he did it so well. You could see that Eric was getting incredibly wound up."
Shaw and Cantona niggled at each other for the whole first half without punishment from referee Alan Wilkie, and the two teams went in at half-time goalless. But just three minutes after the break, Cantona’s patience snapped.
He was about to be sent off for the fifth time in English football, but thanks to what followed, the dismissal itself is not really remembered.
As Shaw and Cantona chased after a lengthy clearance from Peter Schmeichel, the Frenchman aimed a sly kick at Shaw’s shin. Shaw went down, and aided by his assistant, Eddie Walsh (gloriously still called a linesman in 1995), Wilkie immediately brandished a red card towards the Red Devils’ No. 7.
But that’s not what made headlines around the world.Salako takes up the story: "I was aware of Shaw going down. I was on the left wing, away from the incident, but I turned around to see Cantona at boiling point. He was staring into the distance, collar up as usual. And then, within seconds, he’s launched himself into the crowd with a kung fu kick (not a very good one by the way) and is throwing some punches.
"It was a surreal, weird moment. We’ve had [Zinedine] Zidane’s head-butt on Marco Materazzi since then and Luis Suarez’s bite on Giorgio Chiellini, but for a player to attack a fan?"I’d never seen anything like it and haven’t since. I remember our striker Chris Armstrong was first on the scene. He sprinted over to get involved, I think, but then thought better of it as Cantona was led away by the United kitman and Peter Schmeichel."
The provocateur was Matthew Simmons, a 20-year-old from Croydon, who had run down the stand shouting foul abuse at Cantona and telling him to "f--k off back to France," per The Guardian.
A posse of Man United players converged on the scene of the crime before police and stewards restored order. Further down the touchline, a drink was thrown at Cantona as he was escorted off the pitch. Play eventually resumed, and the match finished 1-1, with David May scoring his first goal for Manchester United and Gareth Southgate equalising for Crystal Palace.
"I can remember getting back into the dressing room,” says Salako, per ESPN. "And Alan just said, 'No one make any comment on that incident—just let them deal with it."
Cantona was arrested and convicted for assault, initially resulting in a two-week prison sentence. This was overturned in the appeal court, and instead he was sentenced to 120 hours of community service. The Football Association effectively forced Manchester United to fine Cantona £20,000 and suspend him for the remaining four months of the 94/95 season, as per BBC Sport.
The FA then increased the ban to eight months and fined him a further £10,000, with the governing body’s chief executive, Graham Kelly, describing the incident as "a stain on our game," as per the The New York Times. Cantona was also stripped of the French captaincy and would never play for France again.
Without Cantona in their ranks, Manchester United lost the Premier League title to Blackburn Rovers in a duel that went to the wire, but they came storming back to win another league and cup double the following season, with you-know-who scoring a last-minute winner in the FA Cup final and being awarded the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year.
Crystal Palace reached the semi-finals of both cup competitions in 94/95, but they were relegated on the final day of the season.A short time after the kung fu kick, Cantona secured his notoriety by producing one of the most famous quotations in sporting press conference history. He enigmatically stated that, "When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea," before rising from seat and leaving.
“Oh, that was incredible”, reflects Salako 20 years on, “I totally got what he meant…the seagulls were the press, following the trawler for rich pickings. He was the biggest player in football at the time as far as I was concerned, and those kind of stories are gold dust, producing reams and reams of column inches, but that just showed where Eric was: He lived on a different level to everyone else.
"I think he was a deep thinker, a little bit of a philosopher in his own way as he’s gone on to prove since he left football. That’s probably why it happened really…you talk about flawed genius. You aren’t automatically going to be a good role model just because you’re a footballer.
"I often think that when you have a certain level of genius, there are often flaws that go with it, and you’ll do things that amaze or disappoint people…that is part of the curiosity.
"At the time I actually thought his ban was too much…it wasn’t a premeditated assault, it was completely reactive. You have to go out and win games whatever it takes. You have to win the battle and live and breathe it. You’re fired up, and there are guys that take it further than that.
"However, there is a point you shouldn’t go beyond on the football field. When I was a winger, I would get kicked all over the park. I became much more aggressive when I moved from winger to full-back, and I shocked myself occasionally, looking opponents in the eye and saying things to them.
"I sometimes got dog’s abuse from the terraces. It was quite awful at some away grounds, especially when I was younger. It was very aggressive, almost bordering on violence, and you wanted to react but there has to be a mechanism where you deal with that.
"Footballers live in a very privileged world and do one of the best jobs in the world, and that has to stay at the forefront of their mind. Eric at the time was old enough and wise enough not to get involved in that situation. But we’re only human beings and the more intensely wrapped up you are in what you’re doing, the more likely it is that something like that will happen. I thought it was a severe sentence."
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2336030-20-years-on-ex-palace-star-john-salako-remembers-eric-cantonas-kung-fu-kick
This Sunday, a man called Matthew Simmons may reflect on the night that he went to a football match and got kicked in the chest by one of the modern era’s greatest-ever players.
In a corner of France, or maybe California, Eric Cantona may not even notice that it is 20 years since his moment of kung fu madness, which put him and English football on the front pages.
January 25, 1995, was a chilly Wednesday night at Selhurst Park, asManchester United came to south London seeking a win over Crystal Palace that would keep them on track for three Premier League titles in a row. Sir Alex Ferguson had just spent a record £7 million on Andy Cole, and hopes were high that Cole and Cantona would become an unstoppable force.
Former England winger John Salako was in the Crystal Palace team that night and remembers it well: "Whenever the big teams came to Selhurst Park, our manager, Alan Smith, would make sure every opposition player was tightly man-marked. He set us up that night to be determined and aggressive to meet the test that Manchester United would provide.
"Nobody did that better than our centre-back Richard Shaw, who followed Eric Cantona around all over the pitch and made sure he knew he was there. Richard stuck to Eric like a rash. He had a job to do on Eric, and he did it so well. You could see that Eric was getting incredibly wound up."
Shaw and Cantona niggled at each other for the whole first half without punishment from referee Alan Wilkie, and the two teams went in at half-time goalless. But just three minutes after the break, Cantona’s patience snapped.
He was about to be sent off for the fifth time in English football, but thanks to what followed, the dismissal itself is not really remembered.
As Shaw and Cantona chased after a lengthy clearance from Peter Schmeichel, the Frenchman aimed a sly kick at Shaw’s shin. Shaw went down, and aided by his assistant, Eddie Walsh (gloriously still called a linesman in 1995), Wilkie immediately brandished a red card towards the Red Devils’ No. 7.
But that’s not what made headlines around the world.
Salako takes up the story: "I was aware of Shaw going down. I was on the left wing, away from the incident, but I turned around to see Cantona at boiling point. He was staring into the distance, collar up as usual. And then, within seconds, he’s launched himself into the crowd with a kung fu kick (not a very good one by the way) and is throwing some punches.
"It was a surreal, weird moment. We’ve had [Zinedine] Zidane’s head-butt on Marco Materazzi since then and Luis Suarez’s bite on Giorgio Chiellini, but for a player to attack a fan?
"I’d never seen anything like it and haven’t since. I remember our striker Chris Armstrong was first on the scene. He sprinted over to get involved, I think, but then thought better of it as Cantona was led away by the United kitman and Peter Schmeichel."
The provocateur was Matthew Simmons, a 20-year-old from Croydon, who had run down the stand shouting foul abuse at Cantona and telling him to "f--k off back to France," per The Guardian.
A posse of Man United players converged on the scene of the crime before police and stewards restored order. Further down the touchline, a drink was thrown at Cantona as he was escorted off the pitch. Play eventually resumed, and the match finished 1-1, with David May scoring his first goal for Manchester United and Gareth Southgate equalising for Crystal Palace.
"I can remember getting back into the dressing room,” says Salako, perESPN. "And Alan just said, 'No one make any comment on that incident—just let them deal with it."
Cantona was arrested and convicted for assault, initially resulting in a two-week prison sentence. This was overturned in the appeal court, and instead he was sentenced to 120 hours of community service. The Football Association effectively forced Manchester United to fine Cantona £20,000 and suspend him for the remaining four months of the 94/95 season, as per BBC Sport.
The FA then increased the ban to eight months and fined him a further £10,000, with the governing body’s chief executive, Graham Kelly, describing the incident as "a stain on our game," as per the The New York Times. Cantona was also stripped of the French captaincy and would never play for France again.
Without Cantona in their ranks, Manchester United lost the Premier League title to Blackburn Rovers in a duel that went to the wire, but they came storming back to win another league and cup double the following season, with you-know-who scoring a last-minute winner in the FA Cup final and being awarded the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year.
Crystal Palace reached the semi-finals of both cup competitions in 94/95, but they were relegated on the final day of the season.
A short time after the kung fu kick, Cantona secured his notoriety by producing one of the most famous quotations in sporting press conference history. He enigmatically stated that, "When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea," before rising from seat and leaving.
“Oh, that was incredible”, reflects Salako 20 years on, “I totally got what he meant…the seagulls were the press, following the trawler for rich pickings. He was the biggest player in football at the time as far as I was concerned, and those kind of stories are gold dust, producing reams and reams of column inches, but that just showed where Eric was: He lived on a different level to everyone else.
"I think he was a deep thinker, a little bit of a philosopher in his own way as he’s gone on to prove since he left football. That’s probably why it happened really…you talk about flawed genius. You aren’t automatically going to be a good role model just because you’re a footballer.
"I often think that when you have a certain level of genius, there are often flaws that go with it, and you’ll do things that amaze or disappoint people…that is part of the curiosity.
"At the time I actually thought his ban was too much…it wasn’t a premeditated assault, it was completely reactive. You have to go out and win games whatever it takes. You have to win the battle and live and breathe it. You’re fired up, and there are guys that take it further than that.
"However, there is a point you shouldn’t go beyond on the football field. When I was a winger, I would get kicked all over the park. I became much more aggressive when I moved from winger to full-back, and I shocked myself occasionally, looking opponents in the eye and saying things to them.
"I sometimes got dog’s abuse from the terraces. It was quite awful at some away grounds, especially when I was younger. It was very aggressive, almost bordering on violence, and you wanted to react but there has to be a mechanism where you deal with that.
"Footballers live in a very privileged world and do one of the best jobs in the world, and that has to stay at the forefront of their mind. Eric at the time was old enough and wise enough not to get involved in that situation. But we’re only human beings and the more intensely wrapped up you are in what you’re doing, the more likely it is that something like that will happen. I thought it was a severe sentence."