France striker Nicolas Anelka has poured scorn on the 18-match ban he received for swearing at coach Raymond Domenech during the World Cup, saying it made him laugh.
“As far as I am concerned, this commission and all that is a joke, a sham aimed at saving face,” the Chelsea player said after learning that he would bear the brunt of the sanctions for the debacle in South Africa.
“I have already said that my international career ended on June 19 when I was expelled from (the French training camp of) Knysna.
“They are just playing to the gallery. They are real clowns these people. I’m dying with laughter.”
The unprecedented sanction of an 18-match ban effectively means that the 31-year-old firebrand will not play for his country again, but any lingering doubt has been removed by his disparaging comments.
The French Football Federation’s (FFF) disciplinary commission also handed out a five-match ban to World Cup captain Patrice Evra, three matches to vice-captain Franck Ribery and one match to Lyon midfielder Jeremy Toulalan.
Eric Abidal, the fifth player called before the commission – Ribery was not present as his club Bayern Munich refused to release him and Anelka, as expected, did not turn up – convinced the panel that he was an innocent party and was absolved.
The five players were summoned to appear before the disciplinary commission over the strike called by the World Cup squad in protest at the expulsion of Anelka following his outburst at then coach Domenech.
The incident happened at half-time in the team’s second game at the World Cup finals, with France drawing 0-0 with Mexico. They went on to lose 2-0, which effectively eliminated them from the tournament.
Anelka’s verbal tirade against the embattled and unpopular Domenech was subsequently splashed across the front page of sports daily L’Equipe’s June 19 edition.
However Anelka, who won 69 caps for his country, disputes that he used the same words and is suing the paper for defamation.
When the news of the dressing room bust-up broke, Anelka was sent home from South Africa by the FFF, prompting a one-day strike by the remainder of the squad that saw them refuse to participate in an open training session.
France lost their final game 2-1 to South Africa to finish bottom of their group.
Anelka has since returned to club action for Chelsea in the English Premier League and played in the 6-0 drubbing of West Bromwich Albion last weekend.
Le Parisien newspaper, reporting on Tuesday’s hearing, said that the commission was told by players and other World Cup staff members that the words Anelka used in the dressing room to Domenech were: “Go screw yourself with your team. Do what you like with it.”
Ribery baffled
Ribery, meanwhile, has expressed his confusion at the ban given to him.
“I don’t understand why certain players got five matches of suspension and others weren’t punished,” he told the German news agency SID.
“All the players there were involved in what happened at the World Cup.”
The Bayern Munich winger added that he fully intended to resume his international career once his ban had expired.
“Of course I’d play for France again,” he said.