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SPORTS AGENDA: Secret Manchester United fan saved Eric Cantona from a life ban for his kung-fu kick, Kyle Walker hires a PR adviser after his sex party scandal and muzzled Sky Sports give Frank Lampard an easy ride

Twenty five years have passed and thousands of words have been written since Eric Cantona's kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan, which earned the Frenchman a nine-month ban.

What has not previously been reported is that matters could have been much worse for Cantona had it not been for the presence of a closet Manchester United supporter on the disciplinary panel that dealt with him.

It turns out that Ian Stott, the former Oldham Athletic chairman whose funeral takes place this week, had been a season-ticket holder at Old Trafford before overseeing the Latics' greatest era alongside manager Joe Royle.