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Disgraced forward Nicolas Anelka facing worldwide ban
THE FA have asked FIFA to impose a worldwide ban on Nicolas Anelka after his sacking by West Brom.
The fall-out from Anelka’s controversial ‘quenelle’ goal celebration against West Ham in December reached an acrimonious finale on Friday, as the Baggies ?red the forward for gross misconduct, deeming his claim earlier in the day to have terminated his contract “invalid”.
Anelka had been due to start a five-match ban last Saturday – and now the FA want him to serve the suspension in whichever league the 35-year-old plays in next.
A FIFA spokesperson said: “We can confirm that the FA have contacted FIFA on the matter and requested the extension of the imposed sanction to have worldwide effect.
“We are currently analysing the information and documentation at our disposal.”
Prior to his sacking, Anelka had used Twitter on Friday to say he was quitting West Brom in order to protect his integrity, saying he could not meet the conditions set by the Midlands club in order for him to continue as a player with them.
Those conditions included West Brom wanting Anelka to apologise to the club, the Baggies supporters, sponsors and the “wider community” for the impact and consequences of his gesture and that the striker accept a substantial fine.