Patrice Evra comments on altercation with Chelsea groundskeeper: ‘I believe I was fortunate’
Patrice Evra has reflected on his infamous altercation with a Chelsea groundsman, claiming he “got fortunate.”
Manchester United substitutes, including Evra, were cooling down following the final whistle at Stamford Bridge in 2008.
Emotions flared with Chelsea groundsmen who were occupying the same area of the pitch, leading to an unfortunate incident.
“I think I got fortunate,” Evra told The Telegraph. “I saw a picture of him. He was quite intimidating.
“When I was with France a few weeks later, Nicolas Anelka and [Florent] Malouda mentioned to me, ‘Patrice, we see this guy every day. He’s huge. Were you certain about that?’
“I admitted that I wasn’t sure; I just went straight at him.
“Scholesy remarked afterward, ‘Any time I go to the pub, I’m going to bring you along.’
The FA even requested CCTV footage of the confrontation that occurred after Chelsea defeated Man United 2-1 in the Premier League.
Evra was rested during the Champions League semifinals where United triumphed over Barcelona.
“[Sir Alex] Ferguson, in front of everyone, initiated the meeting like this,” Evra recalled regarding the Barcelona matches.
“‘Oh guys, today it’s a crucial game and if we lose, it’s because of Patrice.’
“We exchanged glances, and I was thinking, ‘Okay, this is quite a bit of pressure.’
– Transfer rumors, news: Man United seeks Juventus defender Kalulu
– The Premier League’s top and bottom players in various skills
– Transfer rumors, news: Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United interested in Stankovic
Ferguson stated: ‘Patrice, I don’t care about [Lionel] Messi being the best football player in the world, whatever. If we lose — if we don’t manage to contain Messi — I will hold you responsible.’
United secured the Premier League and the Champions League in 2007-08, leaving Evra with no regrets regarding the events on the pitch.
The confrontation with the ‘beast’ groundsman, however? That could have turned out differently, and there is no indication whether Paul Scholes ever took Evra to the pub with him.
