LETTERS: Ferguson failed `genius' Cantona

From Mr Nicholas Dixey Sir: May I put in an unfashionable word for Eric Cantona ("Cantona brings disgrace to the game", 26 January)?

When he was quite rightly sent off, he walked straight over to Alex Ferguson, who, while frantically chewing gum and staring angrily at the referee, completely failed to get Cantona into the dressing room and away from the scene of the argument. Mr Ferguson ought to know by now that his volatile Frenchman has a bit of a temper.

By allowing Cantona to go back to the melee, Mr Ferguson was quite negligent.

What happened next was shocking, but then will we ever get to know what sort of foul-mouthed abuse was screamed at the player? I suspect that Eric Cantona only did what thousands of footballers have daydreamed of and never had the nerve to do.

He may have played his last game in England and, if so, I will be sorry. In our increasingly antiseptic world we ought to find room for the individual - and genius is always flawed in some way.

Yours faithfully, NICHOLAS DIXEY Wicklewood Norfolk 26 January