30 years on: that surprising reaction after the infamous EPL kung-fu fan attack

Eric Cantona was a Manchester United legend on the pitch, but will also be remembered for jumping foot first into an abusive fan.

Three decades to the day have gone by since Eric Cantona’s infamous kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace supporter at Selhurst Park - but, it seems, the intervening years have not served to mellow the Frenchman’s outlook on that January night in 1995.

Why did Cantona kick the fan?

Having been sent off for lashing out at Palace defender Richard Shaw as the sides played out a 1-1 Premier League draw, the Manchester United attacker was trudging back to the dressing rooms when home fan Matthew Simmons allegedly shouted at him: “F**k off back to France”.

Cantona responded by launching himself feet first at Simmons in a skirmish that also saw punches thrown. Let’s remind ourselves of that moment.

In the wake of the incident, the United star was fined and eventually banned for nine months, as well as being sentenced to 120 hours' community service.

But speaking to the magazine FourFourTwo as part of an interview in which he answered readers' questions, Cantona remained unrepentant. “I didn’t punch him strong enough,” declared the 49-year-old. “I should have punched him harder.”