Not anti-Semitic? Anelka will miss five games after being banned by the FA

 

So why did he do it then? If Nicolas Anelka’s quenelle gesture was so guileless and innocent, why did he introduce it to a goal celebration in front of a worldwide audience?

If there was no attempt to promote anti-Semitism, no tendency towards it on his part — and we must take him at his word on this — then there needs to be an explanation for his behaviour. And it had better be good.

Well, better than the FA’s mealy-mouthed statement, that banned Anelka for five games for, basically, nothing.