Cantona’s unforgettable kick to a Crystal Palace fan

Last weekend there was an unfortunate event in Hispanic football. The Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior was the victim of racist remarks by some fans at the Mestalla stadium when Valencia received the real Madrid .

Little by little, the situation got out of hand when the Brazilian left the game aside to go against one of the stands, pointing the finger at whoever had uttered the racist cries and gestures. Following this, soon after, he released a powerful message on his social media.

“It wasn’t the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in La Liga.The competition thinks it’s normal, the Federation too and the opponents encourage it. Sorry. The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi now belongs to the racists “, he launched.

“A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and the one I love, but which agreed to export the image of a racist country to the world. I am sorry for the Spaniards who do not agree , but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists. And unfortunately, for everything that happens every week, I have no defense. “, he completed.

This reaction evokes a similar situation, but which resulted in very different consequences for both the victim and the aggressor. This happened in the duel between Manchester United and Crystal Palace developed on January 25, 1995.

On this occasion, the victim of the insults was the Frenchman Eric Cantona . The striker was sent off within 4 minutes of the second half. As he left the court, he heard insults coming from one of the seats.

“Go to your country, you French son of a bitch,” he heard, reacting immediately by launching a searing save that is already part of the collective memory of football. .

And sorry, nothing. One of the sentences he left behind was that “kicking a fascist is not to be enjoyed every day; I regret not hitting it harder ”.

As a result of this action, the French footballer received a nine-month suspension without playing football, a fine of 30,000 euros and 120 hours of community service.

For his part, the fan, identified as Mattew Simmonds, also suffered the consequences of his actions. He lost his job and his relationship with friends and family. “Nothing I said justifies everything that has happened to me since then. Cantona accused me of huge things. He ruined my life,” he said.

Of course, when the English press began to investigate who Simmonds was, they discovered that he had participated in far-right acts and defined himself as a racist. . His case included a conviction for attempted robbery and assault on a football coach on a children’s series.