Anelka: I was made scapegoat for failure

NICOLAS ANELKA has broken his silence on the fiasco of France’s World Cup and claimed he should not have been made the scapegoat for the team’s failings as it was his goal against Ireland in the qualifying play-off that helped Les Bleus reach South Africa.

Anelka launched an astonishing attack on coach Raymond Domenech for his approach to the tournament, revealed that he had tried to quit the French camp during their warm-up matches, remains friends with all his international team-mates and believes Domenech, and not himself, should be ashamed by their behaviour in June.

The Chelsea forward also insisted that his “reputation of arrogance” is a false one pushed by L’Équipe and he spilled the beans about what really happened during half-time on France’s 0-0 draw with Uruguay, when his alleged insult set off the dramatic chain of events.

“Everyone wants to know what happened at half-time and the truth will disappoint all those who dreamed up scenarios out of Hitchcock!” said Anelka. “In fact, nothing major happened. We came into the changing-room, we spoke amongst ourselves for five minutes. The coach arrives and says: ‘Nico, I’ve already told you to stop dropping deep and stay up front’. I reply that all I’ve been doing is staying up, that I can’t get a single touch on the ball. That’s enough, stop telling me to stay up front, I’m not staying up front anymore. He goes on, he says his bit and I say mine.

“Then my head goes. I don’t even listen to what he’s saying any more. And that’s when he says to me ‘Okay, that’s enough, you’re off’. I think he tells one of his assistants and tells him to get Gignac to bring him on. I mumble in my corner some things which will stay within the dressing-room. Which is where they should have stayed. But in no way did I employ the words that I read in L’Équipe.”

Anelka was stunned when it was alleged in L’Équipe that he had told his coach to “F*** off, you son of a bitch”. Anelka is currently suing the newspaper for libel, and claimed that they put out that headline because of their poor relationship with the player. “I’ve been a professional for 14 years and I have barely spoken to that publication,” he said. “That’s why they’ve given me this reputation of arrogance. For them, for a lot of journalists, I was finished 14 years ago when I signed for Arsenal. For them it was impossible for me to succeed.

“I proved that it’s possible without their help. And I continue to do so. I’m not the type of person who creates a friendship just to get good marks the next day. I know who I am, when I am good or bad. And for all those people who think I am guilty for this catastrophic World Cup, I answer that I’m also guilty for our qualification.

“The newspaper destroyed the French team’s chances and, on another level, tried to damage me. This headline destroyed the team internally. It created a war between the players and the federation.”

France squad: Douchez (Rennes), Ruffier (Monaco); Cissokho (Monaco), Debuchy (Lille), Fanni (Rennes), Mexes (Roma), Rami (Lille), Sakho (PSG), Tremoulinas (Bordeaux); Cabaye (Lille), Diarra (Madrid), Matuidi, Mvila (both St-Etienne), N’Zogbia (Wigan), Nasri (Arsenal), Sissoko (Toulouse); Ben Arfa (Marseille), Benzema (Madrid), Briand (Lyon), Hoarau (PSG), Menez (Roma), Remy (Nice).