CANTONA AND MACARI

Crystal Palace v Manchester United Wednesday 25th January 1995

Eric Cantona was always a controversial player, but he went over the top at Crystal Palace, when playing for Manchester United in a Premier League fixture. He was sent off for kicking Palace's Richard Shaw and on his way back to the changing room he leapt over the barrier and attacked a Palace fan, Matthew Simmons, who had been using abusive language to the Frenchman. Pictured is Eric's two-footed kung-fu assault.

Manchester United suspended the player for the remainder of the season and fined him the maximum amount they could - two weeks wages (about £20,000). He later appeared before the courts charged with common assault. Found guilty, he was originally sentenced by Croydon Magistrates to two weeks in prison which, on appeal, was reduced to 120 hours community service. An FA Disciplinary hearing also extended his worldwide playing ban to 30th September and fined him a further £10,000.

At the press conference after his prison sentence had been commuted to community service, Cantona attempted philosophy with the comments - "When seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think that sardines will be thrown into the sea."

The cost to Manchester United was arguably much greater. They lost their Premier League title to Blackburn Rovers by a single point, something which most United fans would agree would not have happened if the mercurial Frenchman had not been IN "clink". 

Paul Ince, who had also been arrested and charged with assault following another incident at the same match, was later cleared of threatening behaviour and assaulting a fan. However Matthew Simmons, the Palace fan, was found guilty of provoking the attack and was fined £500 and banned from all football for 12 months. He was also jailed for a week for jumping a bench in court to attack a prosecuting solicitor! Doh!

Cantona returned to football on 1st October 1995 and scored from the penalty spot in the 2-2 Premier League draw at Old Trafford against Liverpool. He helped United to regain the title that season and to confirm the transition from being l'enfant terrible to the prodigal son he was voted 'Football of the Year' by the Football Writers' Association in April 1996. Simmons went back to his "mundane life".

Quotes about ERIC! on the events at Palace: "Before that night I was behaving like a child. I was prepared to repeat the same mistake again and again. After it, I realised that was an irresponsible habit  I don't think of him (Simmons) much, only that his assault on the lawyer last Thursday speaks for itself."

Alex Ferguson looking back on the same events:
"I don't think any player in the history of football will get the sentence he got unless they had killed Bert Millichip's dog. When someone is doing well we have to knock him down. We don't do it with horses. Red Rum is more loved than anyone I know but he must have lost one race." (Millichip was the FA Chairman)

What Matthew Simmons said he yelled at Cantona:
"Off you go, Cantona - it's an early shower for you." Seems harmless enough, comparatively.

Gordon Strachan on the philosophical comments of his former team-mate:
"If a Frenchman goes on about seagulls, trawlers and sardines, he's called a philosopher. I'd just be called a short Scottish bum talking crap."  

What Brian Clough had to say:
"I'd have cut his balls off."

and from Luigi! (Lou) Macari! "The first half was end to end stuff. In contrast the second half has been one end to the other."

Lou Macari gave Manchester United 12 excellent seasons of service. (18 Jan 1973-30.6.1984) A busy striker who became midfield playmaker in the 1970s, he was a wonderful servant who always gave 100%. Despite playing in four Cup Finals (three FA Cup, one League Cup), he only had one winners medal when Liverpool were beaten in the FA Cup Final in 1977. His shot, possibly on its way into the net, deflected off Jimmy Greenhoff's chest for the winner. Lou won a League Division Two champions medal in 1975. Senior apps: for Celtic, United and Swindon Town: 423 apps 107 goals. For Scotland: 24 apps 5 goals. His management career was:

1984–1989	Swindon Town
1989–1990	West Ham United
1991	Birmingham City
1991–1993	Stoke City
1993–1994	Celtic
1994–1997	Stoke City
2000–2002	Huddersfield Town

Macari also owns the "Lou Macari Chip Shop" on Chester Road, near Old Trafford and he worked with Stoke-on-Trent council to set up The Macari Centre, a street retreat to house the homeless sleeping rough, which opened in February 2016. In COVID, following the closure of the crowded premises of The Macari Centre, Macari rented a warehouse and filled it with glamping pods for homeless people, giving them socially distanced places of their own and their own individual addresses.

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