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French soccer player calls for FA to drop charges over 'quenelle' salute

By REUTERS

JANUARY 22, 2014 17:59

LONDON - Nicolas Anelka used his Facebook and Twitter accounts to ask the English FA to drop charges against him for his quenelle salute and again denied he was anti-Semitic or racist.

The West Bromwich Albion striker has until 6 p.m. GMT on Thursday to respond to the charge that he made an improper gesture. The FA could ban him for a minimum of five matches, or even more.

The 34-year-old former France international maintains the gesture he made after scoring the first of his two goals in West Brom's 3-3 draw at West Ham on Dec. 28 was not anti-Semitic, but instead a tribute to his French comedian friend Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala who invented it.

He wants to call a witness who is an expert in French language and culture who is living in France to put his gesture in context for the FA.

"It would be legitimate that this expert be French, living in France, so he could have an exact knowledge of my gesture," he wrote.

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