In the following season, Cantona became infamous for an incident that occurred on 25 January 1995. In an away match against Crystal Palace, Cantona was sent off by the referee for a vengeful kick on Palace defender Richard Shaw after Shaw had pulled his shirt. As he was being escorted from the pitch by United kit man Norman Davies, Cantona broke away and launched a 'kung-fu' style kick into the crowd, directed at Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons, followed by a series of punches.The infamous photograph of the moment Cantona's foot connected with Simmons, was used with permission on the front cover of Ash's single "Kung Fu". The front cover alone generated publicity in the British rock press, which helped the band finally get a hit single when it charted at number 57 in the same year.
Simmons was later tried for threatening language and behaviour. He received a seven-day prison sentence, but only served 24 hours of his sentence.It was also revealed that Simmons had previous criminal convictions, including an attempted violent robbery in 1992 where he had attacked a Sri Lankan petrol station worker with a spanner in Croydon, and that he had attended a National Front rally a short time before the Selhurst Park incident. His conviction and sentence also resulted in a £500 fine as well as a one-year ban from all football grounds in England and Wales.
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發表於 2009-5-26 11:36 AM
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