CESC FABREGAS has revealed he threw pizza at Sir Alex Ferguson because he didn’t have the “courage to fight.”
At the height of the fierce rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United, tensions got out of control in the tunnel at Old Trafford following The Gunners’ 2-0 loss to United in October 2004.
The result ended Arsenal’s 49 game unbeaten league run, and the two sides came to blows in an event later dubbed the ‘battle of the buffet’ or ‘pizzagate.’
And one of the main instigators, Fabregas, has now revealed the reason he threw that storied slice of pizza.
Speaking to ITV Sport, Fabregas said: “We were 49 games unbeaten. They were so competitive but they were very smart people.
“I was getting a lot of stick as well. So, I was very frustrated.
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“You’re warming up and didn’t play. You’re annoyed you lost.
“I just went in quickly to the dressing room and there was some food there, I was starving.
“I took a slice of pizza and we started hearing noises. You started seeing players and Arsene Wenger everywhere.
“The first thing that occurred to me was to throw the pizza because I didn’t have the power or the courage maybe to go into that fight.
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“They were monsters in there. They were super, super big guys. Apparently it hit Sir Alex Ferguson.”
While Arsenal’s unbeaten run came to an end, the Premier League title ended up going to a team not in the red of Arsenal or United for the first time since Blackburn 1995, as Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea won the league.
Rio Ferdinand, who was also present, told his Vibe with Five podcast: “I don’t think he (Fabregas) meant to throw it at the gaffer, I think he just dashed it out the door and the gaffer was walking past.
“It did hit him, the lasting memory for me was a security guard was having to hold him back from trying to get into the changing room.
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“That’s what I remember. You know what he’s like, if his head went that was it.”
More recently, Fabregas has joined Serie B side Como, with fellow Arsenal legend Thierry Henry set to join him as a shareholder in the club.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
