The FA find Anelka guilty of 'anti-Zionist' gesture. Given a five-game suspension and fined £80k. Anelka denies 'the Quenelle' is offensive and has been told he must take part in an education programme on the gesture. Thoughts? DTLW
The gesture itself is ambiguous and his true intentions in using it will never be known. I think that level of ban is probably about right on balance.
True, we will never know his intentions. But he must know it has connotations so is either stupid or(and) Doesn't mind appearing racist.
Personally I think he obviously knew it is a controversial gesture, but he probably considered it to be unfamiliar to people in the UK and just something that would show support for his friend without causing a stink. Unfortunately for him, people didn't take long to figure out the other meaning. It was pretty naive of him, and the ban is required to send a message that this kind of thing isn't acceptable, but if it was just an unambiguously antisemitic gesture with no other meanings, I really doubt he would have done it.
I think the FA believed that he wasn't anti-Semitic himself. I was going to say that he should choose his friends more carefully, but I know nothing about his relationship with his comedian friend. We probably all have friends who have views differing from our own and we just avoid that bit of their personality.
I don't see a five-match ban and five-figure fine as a smack on the wrist really. And besides not all "racist gestures" are equal, why would you expect the same outcome? Was Anelka misguided? Yes. Was he actually knowingly "inciting racial hatred"? I sort of doubt it.
Only because it's difficult to identify them individually. If you could narrow it down to "Jose Maria Rodriguez Lopez from Murcia makes racist gesture", you'd see some decent punishments handed out.
This so called comedian friend of Anelka's is infamous in France for his anti semitic "jokes", and the "quenelle" has been hijacked by neo Nazis and other anti semites. Anelka would have known precisely of its connotations. Dieudonne's stage act is full of anti semitic inferences, but he avoids saying the words, but the implication and meaning are obvious - just google him and see for yourself. Anelka has got away lightly. I hope he follows up on his threat to quit football altogether.
You seem like quite the expert on this guy's act; can you give some examples of his antisemitic jokes?
