Eric Cantona did coaching sessions for children during the week at United's old training ground at The Cliff. But under the terms of his ban he was not allowed to play in any organised matches. United attempted to schedule a series of training games against local teams to keep Cantona involved, but were censured in a letter from the FA once the matches became public knowledge. Deeply frustrated, Cantona informed United he was moving back to France.

Sir Alex Ferguson: "The next morning I contacted Eric's advisor and told him I was ready to fly to Paris. We met at a restaurant in which Eric was waiting for us with [his agent] Jean-Jacques Bertrand and a secretary. There was no-one else in the place and the owner had put the ferme [closed] sign on the door. Eric was delighted to see me and to hear what I had to say… I believe he wanted me to put an arm round him and convince him that everything would be all right."

Image source, PA

Axis Design:, external Cantona spent a lot of his ban at Cornerhouse watching art house films - saw him there a lot

Commentor Jon Champion

"We are not saying it was a great moment, it was an infamous moment. Twenty years on we will never forget it, and fans will never forget it either. There have been lasting effects too. It could not happen now."

"There is now better stewarding, CCTV while fans are more self-regulatory now. There has been positives out of it. Players are also escorted off the pitch, too"

Daily Telegraph sports journalist and United fan Jim White on BBC Radio 5 live

"We are not celebrating it, we are marking it. It stood out culturally as well as sporting-wise. The story around it is worth remembering.

"It was an act of violence, it was shocking because it broke the invisible wall between participant and spectator."

Don't forget that you can vote for the Premier League's most dramatic moment on the right-hand side of this page or on the 'vote' tab on your mobile.

Matt in Salisbury: I was sat in the pub car park late arriving for a darts match. I couldn't get away from the radio and nearly missed my game of singles. Incredible night. I think we lost the game though!

Daily Telegraph sports journalist and United fan Jim White on BBC Radio 5 live

"He had heard what had been said to him dozens of time. Current players get it 20 times worse on Twitter. But he said he didn't react to the words, but the moment."

BBC Radio 5 live

The BBC radio 5 live special is on until 21:00 GMT.

The panel discuss the nature of provocation on the football pitch and why some players react when they do. Zinedine Zidane of course ended his final game with a headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final.

Image source, PA

Manchester United were two points behind leaders Blackburn before their game at Crystal Palace - and it was Rovers who would go on to win their first title since the outbreak of World War One.

Would Alan Shearer have a league winning-medal now if Eric Cantona had kept a lid on his temper?

In the days now of terribly dull quotes from footballers, Eric Cantona's news conference remains legendary.

After an appeal Cantona is sentenced to 120 hours of community service instead. United then hold a news conference where the striker utters his famous quote.

Image source, PA

Club director and solicitor Maurice Watkins: "Eric wasn't too keen but he said 'OK, but I would like to say something'. Then we started drafting what he was going to say. He was scribbling on a bit of paper and he asked me 'what is the name of that big ship that catches fish'. I said 'that's a trawler Eric'. 'And the big bird that flies over the sea?'. 'A seagull'. Then he wrote it out and we had the famous saying.

"I think I knew what he was getting at, as did quite a lot of other people once they had analysed it. But he didn't want me to explain it. He was quite adamant about that. He said 'I am going to say this but I don't want you to explain what I mean'. So, off he went."

Jon Champion calls the incident 'the beginning of the soap opera'.

Christopher Freeman:, external I remember shouting & celebrating so much, I woke up the kids. He was sent off the weekend before too.

DarkStrangerOnGreen:, external I remember being 10 yrs old and begging to stay up for MOTD to watch. We all tried to replicate it at school the next day!

How big a story was this 20 years ago? The Sun ran 12 pages on it on the Friday...

John from Sevenoaks: I was at the game, I was on the other side of the pitch, I remember thinking that it was a fight between the players, it was not until I was driving home and turned on the radio, that I had any idea what had occurred.

Daily Telegraph journalist and United fan Jim White on BBC Radio 5 live

"I went to the court house and there was a sense of expectation. It was interesting how Eric Cantona held himself. It is not surprising his second career was as an actor.

"He sensed it was a drama and he was at the centre of it. There was an aura about him that extended beyond the football pitch."

23 March 1995: Cantona faces assault charges at East Croydon Magistrates Court and pleads guilty. The magistrate tells him: "You are a high-profile figure. The only appropriate sentence is two weeks' imprisonment, forthwith."

Image source, Getty Images

Club director and solicitor Maurice Watkins: "You could have heard a pin drop when the sentence was imposed. Then, as you can imagine, it was mayhem. Everybody was stunned. Even the prosecuting lawyer was very surprised at the decision of the bench because it ran counter to all the sentencing guidelines. One minute Eric was a free man, the next minute he was taken down to the cells. He was in the cells for three and a half hours."

Former United head of security 'Ned' Kelly: "I think Eric was in a bit of shock. We all were. I followed him down the stairs with the prison wardens and we went in and sat down together in the cell. One of the old police officers said 'don't have the food in here; I'll go and get you something from down the road'. So I gave him some money and he went down to McDonald's and got some Big Macs and French fries so we ate that and had a good laugh about it.

"I gave Eric my phone and he called his wife, and Marseille to tell his family. Then he said, 'I can't be bothered with this, I might be better if I just serve this 14 days and get it over and done with'. I said 'no way, wait until Maurice gets back'."

Andrew Dolan:, external Remember watching TV highlights that night. You knew it was something serious when Des Lynam put his glasses on!

David Allison:, external Listened on the way back from Salford to Harrogate on a school trip which took 13 hours due to snow. Never forget that night!

What sort of fine would a player be looking at for a similar offence today? Luis Suarez was fined £40,000 by the Football Association after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra in 2011.

Sir Alex Ferguson and members of the United board - chief executive Martin Edwards, chairman of the PLC board Sir Roland Smith and director and solicitor Maurice Watkins - meet at the Alderley Edge Hotel that evening to determine the club's response.

Ferguson: "We were unanimous that it had to be powerful enough to protect Manchester United's reputation and we agreed that we should impose a four-month suspension on Eric, which would rule him out for the rest of the season."

United also fine Cantona £20,000. The FA subsequently summon him to a disciplinary hearing and extend the ban to nine months, until the end of September, and fine the player a further £10,000.

Watkins: "I think the club acted properly in the way they handled it. Eric accepted the punishment we decided to impose. As you can imagine, there were all kinds of suggestions that the club should terminate his contract and all the rest of it. But the club felt that they had to stand by their player. That is why we were disappointed when, subsequently, the FA decided to heap on a greater punishment."