Eric Cantona
The Crime: The King of all player on fan attacks, the Manchester United striker leapt into stands in full Kung-Fu flight and followed up with a flurry of punches.
Cantona lashed out after the double indignity of being subjected to xenophobic abuse as he made his way off the Selhurst Park field after being red carded for kicking Richard Shaw.
YouTube credit: contacttheplayers
The Punishment: After being convicted of assault the Frenchman was ordered to complete 120 hours of community service. Manchester United banned the striker for the four months remaining in the 1994/95 season and the FA doubled his time on the sidelines by imposing an eight-month ban of their own.
Trevor Brennan
The Crime: Before a Heineken Cup clash with Ulster, Toulouse’s Irish lock responded to abuse from a visiting fan by imposing his own brand of justice.
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The Punishment: Brennan was fined £17,000 by the ERC and banned for life from rugby at the age of 33. Though Brennan had already signalled he would retire, he launched a subsequent appeal and the ban was reduced to five years.
Zvonimir Boban
The Crime: Boban has perhaps the most theoretically sound reasoning behind his attack on a non-competitor. With Balkan tensions running high, a riot erupted during a game between Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade.
Many Dinamo players remained on the pitch as riots swept through the Maksimir Stands and the midfielder (unintentionally) made himself an instant Croatian nationalist hero by kicking a member of the riot police who was attacking a Dinamo fan.
YouTube credit: Albert Veli
The Punishment: Unsurprisingly, Boban was not called up to Yugoslavia’s Italia ’90 squad and was suspended for nine months. His target during the riot later publicly forgave the midfielder, and claimed that his fellow officers had urged him to shoot the soon-to-be AC Milan midfielder in the back.
The Pacers and the Pistons
The Crime: Frankly we’re not sure where to start. But Ron Artest (before changing his name to World Peace) kicked it all off with a shove on Ben Wallace and soon everyone, including the fans, became wrapped up in the schemozzle.
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The Punishment: Indiana’s players bore the brunt of the suspensions handed down by the NBA: Artest, banned for the remainder of the season, totalled 86 games. While Stephen Jackson and Jermain O’Neal took 30 and 15 respectively.
Detroit’s longest ban came to Wallace who missed six games after the scene known as the Malice at the Palace.
The most vicious of them all, clearly
YouTube credit: delboy1999
The Punishment: In the absence of sure-footedness from Paul Alcock, Paolo DiCanio would serve an 11–match ban.
