Anelka will never play for France again
Published 23:00 03/07/10 By Paul Smith
Nicolas Anelka has vowed never to pull on a French national shirt again after being sent home in disgrace from the World Cup in South Africa.
Which is good because Jean-Pierre Escalettes — the outgoing president of the French Football Federation – agrees with him.
Although the 31-year-old Chelsea striker hasn’t formally announced his plans to retire, he has confided in close friends that he will never play for his country again regardless of who is in charge.
Anelka was at the centre of controversy when he clashed with Raymond Domenech during France’s 2-0 defeat to Mexico.
The Chelsea striker was accused of verbally insulting his coach and refused to issue an apology, despite being asked to do so by Escalettes.
As a result Anelka was thrown out the French camp, an action which led to his team-mates refusing to train in protest.
Escalettes, who resigned in the wake of the row, said: “Neither I nor my successor, nor the future coach, will forget what happened and everyone will ensure that he can not play for France.”
About what happened in the dressing room, he added: “I only knew what I read in the newspapers.
“As soon as I knew, and having made a minimum of checks - a player told me that the remarks were worse than reported – I immediately punished the perpetrator of this insult.”
It was the low point in a dismal World Cup campaign for the 1998 winners, who failed to win a match as they went out after the group stage.
Remarkably, it even led to a government enquiry in France as the nation demanded answers to explain the country’s disastrous performances in South Africa.
Domenech has stepped down as France coach and will be replaced by 44-year-old former Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc.
