'I am not anti-Semitic or racist'.

                                            West Brom striker Nicolas Anelka has released a statement via his Facebook page asking the FA to drop charges on him for his 'quenelle' gesture.
Anelka has long maintained the gesture he made after scoring in West Brom's 3-3 draw at West Ham on December 28 was not anti-Semitic, as condemned by many, but instead anti-establishment.
The row over the gesture has caused club sponsor Zoopla to decide not to renew their £3million-a-year deal beyond this season, and could also see German sponsors Jack Wolfskin end its backing.


On Wednesday, Anelka posted on his Facebook page: 'The English Football Association has hired an expert to decide the meaning of my quenelle... The latter concluded that my gesture was an anti-Semitic connotation, which led to my indictment by the FA.
'It would have been legitimate for this expert is French, living in France, and may have an accurate knowledge of my actions.

'What better expert Mr. Cukierman, president of CRIF (Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France), which explains very clearly that my dumpling could not be regarded as anti-Semitic!
'He also explained precisely and when the gesture could have such a connotation.
'I therefore ask the English Federation kindly removed the charges alleged against me. And I repeat, I am not anti-Semitic or racist.'
West Brom are facing the prospect of losing further sponsors, depending on the outcome of the FA's investigation.

                                                       The Black Country club counts German clothing company Jack Wolfskin among its partners and the firm has issued a statement in which it does not rule out the possibility of ending its backing.
So far this week, property company Zoopla, West Brom's club sponsors, have confirmed they will be finishing their £3m-a-year deal with the club at the end of the current campaign.                                            
And now Marvin Troemer, a corporate communications spokesman for Jack Wolfskin, said: 'We are following the developments closely but has no decision has been taken yet.
'The FA is waiting for a statement of Nicolas Anelka before coming to a final judgment. We consider the charges as serious and strongly disapprove of any gestures or statements which are meant to discriminate a single person or a certain group of people.

                                                    'We are now awaiting the judgment of the Football Association before taking further steps.
'And depending on what our partner West Brom says, which measures they will take and considering our legal possibilities (contract) we would also consider to end our sponsorship as one option.'
One other sponsor, Holler Watches, have also admitted to monitoring the events at the Hawthorns after Zoopla's announcement earlier in the week.                                                                                                    
Zoopla.co.uk is a property website and is part of the Zoopla Property Group Ltd, a privately held company whose shareholders include DMG Media, a division of DMGT plc, the company which owns the Daily Mail and MailOnline.
Anelka earlier offered a cryptic insight into how he might plead after the FA charged him over his controversial salute.

'When it's made in a place which is not specifically Jewish it seems to me that it's a slightly anarchic gesture of revolt against the establishment, which doesn't deserve severe sanctions.                              
Other pressure groups, however, have called for Anelka to be handed more than a five-game suspension due to his lack of an apology.                                                                                                                      
Jonathan Arkush, vice-president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: 'I know under the rules that on a first-time offence there is a minimum five-game suspension.
'But I think what he did was sufficiently serious to justify a longer suspension than five matches.
'He has not indicated one bit of remorse or regret or apologised for his actions.
'He has simply said he wouldn't do it again and that is not good enough.'

The quenelle has been described as an inverted Nazi salute and was created by French comedian Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala, who has been prosecuted for anti-Semitism.
Anelka is a friend of Dieudonne's and the player has insisted his salute was a gesture of support and aimed at the French establishment.
Mark Gardner of the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security and anti-Semitism, said the FA should take action against Anelka.
He said: 'Anelka has introduced a very ugly phenomenon into British football.
'Anelka's action risks the 'quenelle' being taken up by actual anti-Semites and used against British Jews: as it has been in France and elsewhere.
'The FA should throw the book at him.'


posted by Emanto Ngaloru  Jan 22, 2014.