Pepe
Mel, the new manager of West Bromwich Albion, is looking forward to his
first match in charge when his club hosts Everton on Monday in
England’s Premier League.
What
he perhaps did not bargain for is the continuing controversy over a
gesture made by Nicolas Anelka after he scored a goal against West Ham
United on Dec. 28. The gesture, called a quenelle, was performed by
Anelka when he placed his right hand on his left arm in what some people
have called an anti-Semitic salute. The quenelle was invented by thewho last week had his performances banned by a French court for mocking the Holocaust.
The English Football Association,
if any, to take against Anelka. The delay in a decision comes against a
backdrop of increasing awareness of racism in European soccer. The Kick
It Out anti-racism group said that it was “very frustrated” with the
time the F.A. has taken to reach a decision.
A
spokesman for the club told Reuters that “West Bromwich Albion will be
making no further comment until the Football Association has concluded
its investigation and the club its own internal inquiry into the
matter.”
Zoopla has been West Brom’s jersey sponsor since 2012. The deal is to expire at the end of the season.
After
the uproar set off by Anelka’s gesture, the 34-year-old French striker
said he would not perform it again, but he also did not apologize for
his actions.
Richard
Garlick, the club’s technical and sporting director, told The Daily
Express: “There are investigations ongoing. While they are ongoing, we
won’t make any comment. People can speculate that there is a turn of
events where we might be two strikers down. It would help everyone for
that investigation to be over as soon as possible. The F.A. have given
their statement about how quickly they will do that.”
West Bromwich recently sold striker Shane Long to Hull.
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