Anelka Expelled for 18 Games
French Football Federation expelled the striker Nicolas Anelka for 18 games due to the revolt he’s been produced at the world cup tournament this summer. The 31-year-old striker has been punished long enough to even end his international career, eighteen games for the national team meaning few years of playing. However, his expulsion comes after Thierry Henry said goodbye to the national team this summer just days after the South African tournament ended. Disciplinary commission president Jean Mazzella said: “We wanted Anelka’s sanction to set an example.” Furthermore, the FFF decision of crashing out Anelka is the third used against the players who “joined” the training-boycott in South Africa.
The other players punished by the French Federation regard Patrice Evra, who was also banned for five matches, Franck Ribery, who stays three and Jeremy Toulalan, the luckiest who is set to miss just one game. Former France team director also claimed the decision is a very proper one, now the rest of the players being able to realize how much these things could cost them. “The players now realize that they should never have done such a thing. We have to acknowledge that they deserve another chance… Let’s close this chapter and start another one.” Anelka insulted former France coach Raymond Domenech during the match against Mexico in group A, the player contesting team’s tactics to the manager. Two days after the boycott training he was involved, along with the rest of the players, the team suffered an unexpected defeat against hosts South Africa who beat France with 2-1 as Domenech’s side to leave the tournament earlier than expected with just one point won in the same group.
However, the same thing happened with captain Patrice Evra, who also caused a little conflict with one of the fitness-men during a training at the world cup, situation which inclined former France captain Lilian Thuram to propose life-ban for the defender. “I asked the federal council (of the French Football Federation) to sanction the players heavily. For instance, the captain, Patrice Evra, must never be called up again,” he said few days after France’s exit.
