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Former Swansea defender Ashley Williams has revealed he apologised to ex-Man United striker Robin van Persie after a controversial incident between the pair in 2012 – only for the Dutchman to tell him to ‘f*** off’.
Late in the second half of the game – which finished 1-1 at the Liberty Stadium – Van Persie was fouled by Nathan Dyer just outside the Swansea penalty area, with referee Michael Oliver blowing his whistle and awarding United a free kick.
The then-Swansea captain – who was standing right above him – then decided to boot the ball straight at the former Arsenal striker – hitting his head at point blank range and leading to angry scenes as Van Persie and several other United team-mates remonstrated with Williams.
United boss at the time, Sir Alex Ferguson, was outraged after the game, demanding Williams to be banned and saying he ‘could have killed’ Van Persie.
Ashley Williams has revealed Robin van Persie told him to ‘f*** off’ after an incident in 2012
Williams came under fire during Swansea’s clash with United for booting the ball at the Dutchman’s head
The ex-Swansea captain was scolded for his actions, with both players booked after a melee
Speaking on the controversial moment, Williams told the Stretford Paddock podcast that he did not mean to strike Van Persie in the head with the ball.
‘I knew it was out of order, I didn’t really mean it,’ he said. ‘I’ve said it so many times, the ball has rolled, his head was there – and it was like “oh”. I had no issue with him in the game, no issue with him before I thought he was a great player.
‘He wasn’t someone I didn’t like. I didn’t mean to hit his head but I was surprised when I hit it. And then I was like “oh s***, I’ve hit his head, he’s fuming.’
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Williams then said he attempted to apologise for his actions in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford – which the Red Devils won 2-1 – but revealed the Dutchman was not having any of it.
‘After the [first] game I was like “whatever”,’ he went on. ‘The next time I played him, the ball was down the other end and I was like “sorry about that from before, I didn’t mean it”. And he was like “f*** off”. And I was like “sound”. I’d react the same.’
Sir Alex Ferguson was raging after the incident, but Williams insisted he didn’t mean to hit Van Persie
Sir Alex did not hold back in his post-match press conference at the time, saying: ‘It was absolutely deliberate. The whistle has gone, the game has stopped and he has done that right in front of the referee – he could have killed the lad. It was a disgraceful act.’
Forward Wayne Rooney, however, had attempted to play down the situation.
He said: ‘It’s one of those things. The whistle’s gone, the defender has gone to clear and it’s hit him in the head. I think probably it’s the right decision from the referee.’
And Williams’ boss Michael Laudrup was unhappy with Sir Alex’s terminology, adding: ‘There were a lot of players there and I didn’t see it. I think Ferguson didn’t mean killing him literally. Things happen in a game.’
