Sport

King of Queens: Eric Cantona arrested and cautioned by police for assault after London drinking session

Eric Cantona has been arrested and cautioned after assaulting a man in London on Wednesday.

The former Manchester United talisman was involved in an altercation with a London man on Regents Park Road, Primrose Hill, after drinking at The Queens pub nearby.

Police were called at 12.55pm and took Cantona, dubbed ‘King Eric’ by his fans, into custody on suspicion of common assault.

It is currently unknown whether the victim, who is unidentified, will press charges against the 47-year-old.

It is the second time that Cantona has been in trouble with law enforcement in the capital, following his 1995 assault of a Crystal Palace fan.

After being sent off during a match at Selhurst Park for an altercation with Palace defender Richard Shaw, the Frenchman was insulted by Matthew Simmons and proceeded to vault the pitchside barrier and ‘kung fu’ kick his abuser.

The United attacker was given a two-year prison sentence reduced to 120 hours community service and served an eight-month FA ban in addition to a £20,000 fine.

It was during this period that the enigmatic former France international coined his famous ‘seagulls follow the trawlers’ phrase to describe the media attention he was receiving.

Cantona retired from football in 1997 after five successful years in Manchester, scoring 64 goals in 143 appearances and becoming an Old Trafford legend in the process.

He went on to manage the France national beach football team before a one-year spell as director of football at the reformed National American Soccer League side New York Cosmos.

Aside from football, Cantona has made several film appearances since 1995, with his most famous on-screen moment coming in the 2009 film Looking for Eric, in which he played the titular character.

Image courtesy of KallangRoar.com with thanks

Related Articles