France international striker Nicolas Anelka’s international career all but officially came to an end on Tuesday when he received an 18-match ban for his foul-mouthed outburst at then-coach Raymond Domenech at the World Cup, a French Football Federation (FFF) disciplinary commission decided.
The 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 show up — convinced the commission that he was an innocent party and was absolved.
PHOTO: AFP
The five players had been called to appear before the disciplinary commission over the strike that shamed the World Cup finals squad as they went on strike in protest at the expulsion from the squad of Anelka over his outburst at Domenech.
Evra and Ribery were summoned for not performing their duties properly as captain and vice captain, Toulalan for being responsible for wording the statement which was humiliatingly read out by Domenech and Abidal for refusing to play in the final group match against South Africa.
Anelka, who is suing L’Equipe newspaper for defamation for misquoting what he said, had also been asked to turn up to explain his behavior, but the 31-year-old will more than likely not be too discomforted by the ban as he had already intimated that he would not play for France again.
The FFF had preferred not to summon all the squad members and had pinpointed the quintet as the players most responsible for the shambles that made France a laughing stock.
Former deputy managing director of the team, Jean-Louis Valentin, was one of those called to give evidence and the only one to speak publicly after doing so.
Valentin, who was one of the few to emerge with his dignity intact at the finals having quit in tears in disgust the day they went on strike, said that he had discerned a genuine sense of remorse from the three players who had turned up.
“I sensed that the players are truthfully sorry, and have been left damaged and mortified at what took place, they were conscious of a collective meltdown,” Valentin said.
“I believe that now it is imperative we turn the page and move on ... As a lover of the French team, and as a supporter of the France team, I think that each player has the right to a second chance,” he said.
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