The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 317 "I want to apologize to that prostitute"

“When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.”

——Eric Cantona

The flying kick happened quickly and ended quickly. The Red Devils staff stopped Cantona from continuing the action and took him away from the stadium and back to the locker room in time.

Ferguson immediately received a call from the club management, who was emotional and anxious. Ferguson later said, "I think the first thing to do is to protect Cantona, isolate him from public attention, and avoid pressure from public opinion and the FA."

Ferguson said: "This is not a criminal incident, just a conflict on the pitch. Cantona loves football so much, is so loyal to the Red Devils, and trusts me so much, and many people can feel it. I always feel that he has a pure heart, and I admire this attitude very much. I think loyalty is one of the most precious qualities of human beings, especially for players. I am always accused of overly protecting my players when they are criticized by the public. Those accusations are sometimes reasonable, but I will still act in this way. "

Ferguson said: "Shelter? Not true. I grew up in a working-class Scottish family. I know where my roots are and what my background is. My life experience has made me believe that there are good and bad people in the world, people's abilities are big and small, and their qualities vary greatly. There are some people you can completely trust, and there is no word of betrayal in their vocabulary, such as Cantona. I want to be someone the players trust and live up to their loyalty. It has nothing to do with winning or losing. This is the promise I need to stick to Cantona and all loyal players."

The police at the stadium wanted to take Cantona away. He might be arrested on suspicion of physical assault and might be sentenced for intentional injury. Ferguson had to hurry to rescue the Frenchman.

The action was immediately launched. Ferguson asked the club to send a lawyer to accompany Cantona to the police station immediately, so that Cantona could be supported by legal professionals. In the press conference after the game, Ferguson emphasized: "No one wants to see this kind of thing happen on the field. We do not welcome violence on the field, but we should pay attention to what Cantona has experienced. A great player, a legendary star, would never treat fans rudely for no reason. Cantona definitely did not intend to hurt people."

Ferguson said: "How will the Red Devils punish Cantona? It's too early to say. We need to investigate in detail and have a full discussion to decide how to do the right thing."

Watkinson, a lawyer who was the club director at the time, felt that a disaster was imminent and that the Red Devils' reputation would be dragged down. He wanted the club to cut ties with Cantona as much as possible, but Ferguson asked him to save Cantona regardless of the consequences. Watkinson stayed with Cantona and helped him deal with matters involving detention and criminal charges. Watkinson later said: "Of course I knew the seriousness of the matter. This was not a confrontation between players, but a player beating a fan! I have dealt with fan relations before and know that many things are very sensitive. I don't think Ferguson is right. I felt that the club should get rid of negative influences instead of getting involved."

The police arrested Cantona and initially refused bail to the Red Devil.

Ferguson, Charlton, Edwards, Watkinson... the Red Devils started their work and looked for ways to rescue him. Watkinson went to the criminal court to negotiate in person. With the efforts of all parties, the police station detained Cantona for 3 and a half hours and then agreed to release him on bail.

Ned Kelly, then the Red Devils' head of security, accompanied Cantona to the cell. He was extremely nervous the whole time, fearing that Cantona would cause a scene in the police station. Cantona borrowed Kelly's mobile phone to call his wife, and then he was very quiet. The whole police station soon became lively. A large circle of people in the station were Cantona's fans, so he enjoyed different treatment in the cell. Police, staff, arrested criminal suspects...all kinds of people wanted to know him and chat with him. Cantona was very friendly and talked to all kinds of people, and even signed autographs for them on the spot.

Ferguson came up with a plan and instructed the club to accuse the fan who angered Cantona, believing that it was his bad words and deeds that caused Cantona to lose control and caused the Red Devils to suffer heavy losses. "Cantona is deeply loved by the club, fans and the English and French football worlds. He is kind and straightforward, gentle and has great resilience. If his beliefs had not been offended, if his wife and children had not been verbally attacked, he would never have been so impulsive and the Red Devils would not have suffered such harm."

After Cantona was released on bail, he went home to rest, but only the French slept well that night. The British media and even the media around the world did not intend to let the French go, and they launched a one-sided attack on Cantona. Even in China, the United States, South America and even Africa, sports news in various countries kept broadcasting the video of Cantona kicking the fans and continued to criticize fiercely. Cantona almost became a "criminal" who was condemned by thousands of people. Many people believed that only a lifetime ban was enough to punish such atrocities. Many people clamored to put Cantona in jail, and some people wanted to hold the Red Devils responsible and make them compensate the fan who was kicked.

The Red Devils' training ground was surrounded by reporters, who threw rope ladders over the wall, climbed up to take pictures, and tried every way to dig out inside news. Some reporters blocked Cantona's door, aiming their cameras at the closed door and windows.

Public opinion is almost unanimous that players beating people in football matches is extremely bad, and violent attacks on fans must not be allowed. David Davis, former executive director of the English Football Association, disclosed the inside story of how this incident was handled in his book "FA Secret Files". Davis said: "We were very angry when we found Edwards and asked them to explain how to punish Cantona, and they must punish him severely. Edwards spoke sternly at the time and stated that he would immediately terminate Cantona's contract, expel him from the team, and fine him. We believe that the Red Devils are aware of the seriousness of the incident and will take action."

After Edwards made his statement, the Red Devils held an emergency meeting in Cheshire. Edwards was scolded by Ferguson at the meeting and had no chance to fight back. After the meeting, Edwards had to inform the FA and announced that the team would wait for the ban decision from the FA and UEFA. During this period, the Red Devils would temporarily suspend Cantona. The club would not terminate Cantona's contract and would not impose additional penalties.

The English Football Association was extremely shocked and angered by the Red Devils' perfunctory attitude. The English Football Association then held a hearing, and the chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, Thompson, asked to "listen to Cantona's own statement", and this proposal was agreed by everyone. Davis was very worried, "Oh my God! Is there a worse idea than this?! I remember that in a previous hearing of the French Football Association, Cantona even slapped an official!"

Cantona said at the hearing, "I will take responsibility for my actions, fine or suspension, but I will not apologize. You should go and find out what that rubbish said. If you are insulted like this, and if you and your family are sprayed with shit like this, I look forward to your reaction."

Ferguson, on behalf of the Red Devils, pointed out: "We must ban this so-called fan from coming to the stadium to watch the game. He is a football hooligan and someone that no club should welcome." Ferguson shifted the focus of the conflict to the fan. "Football games require civility, and this requirement also applies to fans. Once fans' emotions get out of control, they must be responsible for their actions."

Ferguson insisted that Cantona's outburst was triggered by external factors. He said, "The various bad deeds of that fan have been exposed. The player was passionate in the game. He encountered insults, provocations and attacks. Fighting back is a normal reaction - it's just that Cantona went a little too far."

Cantona surprised everyone at the hearing. Apart from his gentle dress and attitude, he said: "I would like to apologize to the chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, to the Red Devils, to Watkinson and Ferguson. I also want to apologize to my teammates, to the Football Association, and to the prostitute who slept with me last night..."

Davis recalled: "Did I really hear Cantona saying this? The committee members couldn't believe it. Cantona picked up the microphone and said it again with a blank expression and pretended to be serious. Seeing the expression on Watkinson's face, I believed that my ears were not deceiving me. Cantona apologized to a prostitute who didn't exist. It was full of irony."

Why did he choose the flying kick? Cantona explained: "When I was a child, my father told me that if you want to fight with someone, you must first try to hit him, and then try to beat him. I think I can definitely hit him with a flying kick, but I was really kind to him. I could have beaten him so hard that he couldn't take care of himself."

Cantona said: "I am very proud that I chose the right response. Some people think that silence is politically correct, but it is not. Such fans should not be in the stadium at all. Many players may want to kick such shameless hooligans. They didn't do it in the end, but I did it. I think they must be very happy because I did what they didn't dare to do. This is a very special feeling. I made the right response for many players, and I am proud of it."

Cantona's mother was very anxious. She called Cantona's mentor, Auxerre coach Guy Roux, and asked him to persuade her son to calm down. She was not only worried about her son's career, but also worried about another possibility, that Cantona would attack the judge with the same flying kick in the trial court.

The French media also did not mind making a big fuss, but not everyone liked to kick someone when he was down. The incident even alarmed French President Mitterrand, who told Guy Roux that he was willing to help Cantona. In the end, Guy Roux, Mitterrand, Platini and other French celebrities all wrote letters of appeal for Cantona.

The Red Devils then held a press conference. Facing the swarm of reporters, Cantona, wearing a suit, looked gentle, elegant and noble. He just sat quietly and listened to the Red Devils press officer dealing with various media. When the reporters were eagerly waiting, Cantona slowly said his most famous words: "When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Thank you."

Many years later, Cantona said: "This is what I thought of on the spur of the moment, not carefully considered. I was actually joking and holding up a mirror to the reporters. In fact, I was not serious at all. I was originally prepared not to say anything at the press conference. At that time, the club's lawyer Maurice Watkinson told me that I had to say something. He wanted me to apologize, but that was impossible. So I said that sentence in the press conference, which made no sense. Everyone was attracted and they were all interpreting the mystery in it. "

Cantona was quiet, elegant, and had great manners. Many reporters were puzzled as to how such a cultured and philosophical person could violently attack others.

The Red Devils discussed the punishment for Cantona, and Ferguson suggested a three-match ban according to the red card rule. This suggestion was opposed by almost all management members, and even Charlton could not publicly support him. Ferguson's bottom line was that the ban lasted until the end of the season. He immediately unified the board's opinion and then negotiated with the English Football Association.

Davis recalled: "Ferguson was as terrifying as a nuclear warhead explosion. He almost overturned the conference table when we were discussing the length of the penalty."

After mediation by many parties, especially Ferguson's continuous efforts, the English Football Association finally decided to ban Cantona for 9 months, from now until October 1995. UEFA and FIFA then unified the punishment period to a global ban of 10 months, and the French Football Association dismissed Cantona as captain of the national team and expelled him from the national team.

The court's verdict came belatedly, and Cantona was sentenced to two months in prison for assault. Cantona appealed and the final verdict was that Cantona did not need to go to prison, but instead had to do 120 hours of community service and a fine of 2 pounds.

After hearing the verdict, Cantona flew back to his homeland in France and refused any apology from the Red Devils club. After returning to France, Cantona cut off his ties with England and even considered giving up his football career.