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Anelka DID actually break the law if he meant it as an anti-semitic gesture. Incitement to racial hatred is a crime. Even if he didn't it was still "likely to cause offence", something the FA crack down on hard. In a way I think he was quite lucky, lest we forget Suarez got a longer ban (eight matches I think) for calling Evra a racist name, Terry was banned by the FA after being found not guilty in criminal court for a similar offence to Suarez.
In my personal opinion there is no way Anelka could have been ignorant of how the comedian himself has espoused anti-semitic views or how the gesture is perceived all over France and much of Europe. He fully deserved to be banned and if anything I believe the FA were somewhat lenient when compared to the sentences they handed out to other players for similar, perhaps even lesser offences.
In my personal opinion there is no way Anelka could have been ignorant of how the comedian himself has espoused anti-semitic views or how the gesture is perceived all over France and much of Europe. He fully deserved to be banned and if anything I believe the FA were somewhat lenient when compared to the sentences they handed out to other players for similar, perhaps even lesser offences.