Fàbregas returns to Old Trafford with memories of "Pizzagate"
A striking confession after 14 years
Former Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas returns to Old Trafford on Wednesday night for another crack at Manchester United, this time with his Italian side Como in the Champions League.
The Spanish manager knows the Red Devils' stadium well, having fought plenty of battles there during his playing days with Arsenal.
English newspapers dug into that history today, recalling the famous "pizza scandal" that pitted Fabregas against Sir Alex Ferguson more than two decades ago.
"Pizzagate": Fàbregas reveals the secret
The incident dates back to October 2004. Arsenal travelled to Manchester United at Old Trafford chasing a 50th consecutive Premier League match unbeaten, yet the encounter earned its fame for what happened after the final whistle.
Defeat ended Arsenal's historic run. Tempers then boiled over between the two sets of players in the tunnel leading to the dressing rooms, with pushing and shoving all round, before someone launched a slice of pizza that struck Ferguson. The moment became one of English football's most famous tales, later christened "Pizzagate", according to Manchester Evening News.
For years nobody knew who threw the slice, even as suspicion grew around Fabregas. Ferguson himself fingered the Spaniard as a suspect, and former Arsenal defender Martin Keown fuelled the speculation by referring to "a Spanish player with great skill" without naming him outright.
Fabregas finally settled the row during an appearance on Sky in 2018, saying: "Suddenly I heard voices, and I wondered what was happening, then I came out carrying the piece of pizza, and I saw Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand and Martin Keown, with everyone shoving."
He continued: "I wanted to take part in the clash, but I did not know how to do it, so I just threw the piece of pizza. And when I saw the person it hit, that was not what I intended."
Later, Fabregas confirmed he apologised to Ferguson directly, telling beIN Sports: "I found out later that it hit Sir Ferguson, and I had already apologised publicly, and I will repeat my apology. It was not deliberate, just a moment that happened spontaneously. I was young in age, and I certainly would not use a piece of pizza now, but would get straight into the clash!"
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Hunger and anger behind the story
Fabregas filled in more of the detail during a 2022 interview with ITV: "We had gone 49 matches without defeat. They were very competitive, but they were also very clever. And I came in for a lot of criticism as well."
Frustration had got the better of him after the defeat, a game he watched from the sidelines. "I was doing the warm-ups and didn't play, and I felt bad because we lost. I went quickly into the dressing room, and there was some food, and I was starving.
Then came the punchline: "I took a slice of pizza, then we started to hear noises. And the first thing that came to my mind was to throw the pizza, because I didn't have the strength or perhaps the courage to get into that scuffle."
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