'I saw what happened to Eric Cantona after king-fu kick - Sir Alex could have stopped it' - The Mirror

ON THIS DAY IN 1995: Eric Cantona's infamous kung-fu kick on Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons shocked football, but one Manchester United star believes it could have been prevented

It is 30 years since Eric Cantona launched himself into a kung-fu kick - and his former Manchester United team-mate Brian McClair believes that was the moment the Frenchman fell out of love with football.

January 25, 1995 became one of the most infamous nights in Premier League history when Cantona violently launched himself at Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons after being racially abused following a clash with defender Richard Shaw which had seen the United striker sent off.

Cantona threatened to quit the game after being charged with assault by the authorities and hit with an eight-month ban and £20,000 fine by the FA.

With their talisman missing, the defending champions were beaten to the title by Blackburn by a single point - and Sir Alex Ferguson ’s nightmare season ended with a defeat to Everton in the FA Cup Final.

McClair, the Scottish international who spent 11 years at Old Trafford and was playing alongside Cantona on that fateful evening at Selhurst Park, believes it was the beginning of the end for Cantona.

And he also revealed that Ferguson ignored warnings from his players that the Frenchman had lost the plot. McClair said: “I do believe that the fire died when he (Cantona) received the punishment - and I think he fell out of love with football.

"I suspect, although I don't know, that the manager persuaded him to continue, and told him ‘don't let people beat you’.

“And that's what he did from a professional point of view, but I think that he decided then that this wasn't for him anymore and that he was getting out of it.

"He (Cantona) didn't say anything to me. But rewinding back Eric’s last game was only maybe two-and-a-bit years later. I think that from the moment, and from everything else that transpired through that phase, Eric fell out of love with football.”

Simmons was fined £500 for verbally abusing the United striker, while Cantona was initially handed a two-week prison sentence after pleading guilty of assault. He was freed on bail pending an appeal, before eventually being ordered to undertake 120 hours of community service.

McClair added: “Eric goes to court and he gets a custodial sentence. He's technically assaulted somebody, but he disappears into the back of a police van and away to a proper prison. He's in there for a couple of days before he gets out on bail.

“Then the FA decided what their punishment should be. For me, it was way beyond what I expected and what was reasonable. But that was because it was Eric. He got that great shock of being taken to prison and then being pilloried every day all the way through his suspension.”

Cantona was waging a running battle with Shaw when the contest exploded early in the second half. But McClair has now revealed that Ferguson refused to listen to advice from players and staff that the Frenchman was losing control and needed to be substituted.

He recalled: “I don't blame Eric personally. There was a situation. Did the manager regret not taking him off half-time, having been advised by some of the players or even some of his staff?

"I was disappointed of course, and you learn and understand that we were all different, even though we're part of a team. Had it been me, for example, then I wouldn’t have been a Manchester United player after that.

"It was a great effort by everybody else to get to a situation where in the last game of the season you've still got a chance to win the title, and in the following week you've got the FA Cup final.

"Eric was our game changer, he was the one that made a difference. It’s easy to say, but if he hadn't created the situation and been suspended for all of those games, then maybe things would have turned out a bit differently.”

Brian McClair was talking to Gambling.com

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.