Former Arsenal striker Nicolas Anelka has reflected on his infamous 18-match ban, which he received after a furious dressing-room altercation with France manager Raymond Domenech during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Domenech allegedly substituted the striker at halftime against Mexico, leading to a heated X-rated exchange.
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The dispute caused a massive mutiny within the French camp, with the rest of the squad boycotting training in solidarity with Anelka, who was subsequently expelled from the tournament and hit with the massive suspension by the French Football Federation.
“I was frustrated going into the locker room,” Anelka recalled. “I was thinking to myself, ‘I’m not getting the ball, I’m not finding a solution. We’re playing badly, it’s 0-0 and we still haven’t scored.’
“All of a sudden, the coach came in and called me out by name. When he called out my name with all that pent-up frustration, it just came out because I didn’t like it. I didn’t like that he called me out by name as if I were guilty, as if it were all my fault.
“I took it as an attack. It was a big mistake. He had to know I was frustrated. He had to know I was a volcano about to erupt.”
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Patrice Evra, the captain at the time, was handed a 5-match ban, while Franck Ribéry was banned for 3 games. Jérémy Toulalann was banned for one game, while Eric Abidal was let off despite his role in the mutiny.
Anelka was a mainstay in the French national setup, earning 69 caps and finding the net on 14 occasions.
