Zoopla will finish with W. Brom over Anelka's "Quenelle"

Augmerson

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/25810659

BBC Website wrote:

West Brom sponsor Zoopla have decided to end their sponsorship of the club at the end of the season over Nicolas Anelka's "quenelle" gesture.

Anelka made the sign, described as an inverted Nazi salute, after scoring against West Ham on 28 December 2013.

The Football Association is investigating the gesture.

West Brom have continued to pick Anelka since the incident at Upton Park and the striker has promised not to repeat the celebration.

The property company said in a statement: "Zoopla has been reviewing its position over the past few weeks in light of the actions of striker, Nicolas Anelka, during the match against West Ham over the Christmas period.

"It has decided to focus its attention on other marketing activities after this season."

The agreement was due to finish at the end of the season and Zoopla have decided not to renew.

The FA has brought in an "expert regarding the salient issues related to the gesture", which Anelka made after scoring in a 3-3 draw at Upton Park.

There is a possibility he could be handed a lengthy ban should he be charged and found guilty.

Anelka said he made the gesture in support of performer Dieudonne M'bala M'bala, whom the French government has tried to ban from making the sign at his shows.

West Brom host Everton in the Premier League on Monday.

I didn't notice a thread on this already, sorry to mods if one is up. Thought it was interesting to discuss. Zoopla's sponsorship of West Brom was up at the end of the season anyway. It was worth about 3 Million Pound Sterling.

Has it happened before that sponsors have terminated contracts over questionable or controversial activities by players or managers or clubs themselves? I can't think of any previous incidents.

The quenelle, for anybody else who is wondering, is a kind of gesture where you point one arm downwards while your other arm touches the top of your shoulder. Dieudonné M'bala M'bala is the man who apparently created it. Anelka said M'Bala is a friend of his and he did it in support of him.

There's a whole load about it here if anyone wants to read it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quenelle_(gesture)

smellmepower

Seems like a handy way for Zoopla to get some free 'good guy' publicity tbh.Though the lad who owns the company is Jewish so probably feels very strongly about it too.

dreamers75

Contract was up at the end of the season anyway.

Augmerson

smellmepower wrote: »

Seems like a handy way for Zoopla to get some free 'good guy' publicity tbh.Though the lad who owns the company is Jewish so probably feels very strongly about it too.

That must by why then, it's see as anti-semitic. M'bala intended it as anti-zionist.

Lapin

Augmerson wrote: »

Zoopla's sponsorship of West Brom was up at the end of the season anyway.

dreamers75 wrote: »

Contract was up at the end of the season anyway.

True - In other words Zoopla are generating as much publicity as they can by saying they're not going to renew the contract.

A backroom decision that was made in all likelihood before Anelka's goal celebrations.

The whole thing is blown out of all proportion.

Kiwi_knock

Handy bit of publicity, contract was up at the end of the season and WBA were unlikely to renew. It they were really offended they would have cancelled the contract straight away. No surprise they announced it the day that WBA are on TV so everyone will be looking at their logo.

Dempsey

Publicity Stunt!

lordgoat

Weren't going to renew the contract anyway. They are delighted with the publicity they're getting from this!

Pro. F

I love the way Anelka's excuse for doing the gesture is that he was just showing support for his friend. Showing support for your anti-semitic friend by doing his anti-semitic gesture is just as bad Nico. Hopefully the FA land him with a massive ban.

Regarding Zoopla, it does sound like they can't be too bothered about the whole thing if they aren't even going to cancel their sponsorship early.

NIMAN

If they are genuinely withdrawing their sponsorship based on what Anelka done (which I don't believe they are) then its a bit of an over-reaction.

Why punish a club, the other players, the fans simply for a gesture that one individual took it upon himself to do? Its not like he was doing it cos team management told him to.

Like most other people I think they are only doing it because:
1) they weren't going to renew anyway
2) it gets them publicity

Pro. F

NIMAN wrote: »

If they are genuinely withdrawing their sponsorship based on what Anelka done (which I don't believe they are) then its a bit of an over-reaction.

Why punish a club, the other players, the fans simply for a gesture that one individual took it upon himself to do? Its not like he was doing it cos team management told him to.

Like most other people I think they are only doing it because:
1) they weren't going to renew anyway
2) it gets them publicity

The thinking would be to punish the club for not dropping Anelka after he made the gesture, rather than punishing the club for Anelka making the gesture.

bad2dabone

Well you can't allow a sponsor to pick the team. Especially when they came out publicly putting pressure on the club regarding selection. It's a clear stunt from zoopla

dsmythy

Stunt by Zoopla. Wonder what the West Brom fans think of anti-semetic salutes.

razorblunt

Endless possibilities for rightmove.co.uk to jump in here!

Agueroooo

Anelka has just been charged by the FA.

Zoopla got some nice free advertising out of this

GavRedKing

Whispers of a 5 game ban.

Fr Tod Umptious

Well done to Zoopla here by the way.

I lack of action by either the club or the FA made a joke of all their 'kick it out' campaigns etc.

It's only when it hit the club in the pocket was action taken.

ctrl-alt-delete

Some of the captain's would want to be carefull how they adjust the armband in future!

Lennonist

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Well done to Zoopla here by the way.

I lack of action by either the club or the FA made a joke of all their 'kick it out' campaigns etc.

It's only when it hit the club in the pocket was action taken.

Indeed well done Zoopla in using this incident to cynically engineer a publicity boost for themselves on the day that West Brom host a live TV game. Bravo Zoopla.

Fr Tod Umptious

Lennonist wrote: »

Indeed well done Zoopla in using this incident to cynically engineer a publicity boost for themselves on the day that West Brom host a live TV game. Bravo Zoopla.

I will not deny the publicity they garnered from it, but the delay in any action from the club or the FA is worrying.

And is it not odd that the day after Zoopla pull out the FA decide to charge Anelka

Not good for the EPL commercial brand if they are not seen to tackle such incidents promptly

Kiwi_knock

The FA have been investigating it since it happened. It is more of a case that Zoopla knew that a FA decision was coming this week so pre-empted the decision so as to claim some moral high ground.

Lennonist

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

I will not deny the publicity they garnered from it, but the delay in any action from the club or the FA is worrying.

And is it not odd that the day after Zoopla pull out the FA decide to charge Anelka

Not good for the EPL commercial brand if they are not seen to tackle such incidents promptly

I'd agree with what Kiwi said there, it looks like Zoopla cynically preempted the FA charge in an attempt to seize the high moral ground and get publicity for themselves.

As for the incident itself, if Anelka is found to be guilty as charged of engaging in an offensive gesture, then he'll get a ban. Zoopla's cynical preemptive reaction ensures they come out of this whole thing with no credit themselves. I never heard of them before this, highly cynical publicity stunt on their part.

Skylinehead

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Well done to Zoopla here by the way.

I lack of action by either the club or the FA made a joke of all their 'kick it out' campaigns etc.

It's only when it hit the club in the pocket was action taken.

I'd say West Brom are getting their money either way, they have a contract that will have to be fulfilled. So they won't be getting hit in the pocket, and rightfully so. Let the FA deal with Anelka, Zoopla have no right to pick West Broms team for them.

RayCon

Augmerson wrote: »

Has it happened before that sponsors have terminated contracts over questionable or controversial activities by players or managers or clubs themselves?

But they didn't terminate the contract , they let it run down and chose not to renew.

dreamers75

Does anyone think it was anti semitic or anti establishment?

Mint Sauce

dreamers75 wrote: »

Does anyone think it was anti semitic or anti establishment?

This what I was wondering as well. Looked it up as not that familar with the gesture, and still none the wiser.

The FA also had to seek advice before proceding, so definatly agree that Zoopla has just seemed to chuck it in as a reason not to RENEW the contract.

Pro. F

dreamers75 wrote: »

Does anyone think it was anti semitic or anti establishment?

From what I've read it looks very clearly to be anti-semitic with the phoney excuse of supposedly being anti establishment. This comedien fella, who uses it as his trademark, talks anti semitic gash all the time, but tries to fuzz the issue with claims of an anti establishment and comedy agenda.

Dempsey

The anti-Semitic card gets played at a drop of a hat imo

I dont know the comedians routine so its hard to say what his intentions are but in modern western societies, offending anyone is getting criminalized by governments.

TBH, I find it hard to believe that Anelka is anti-Semitic or has any motivation to be anti-Semitic

Pro. F

Dempsey wrote: »

The anti-Semitic card gets played at a drop of a hat imo

I dont know the comedians routine so its hard to say what his intentions are but in modern western societies, offending anyone is getting criminalized by governments.

TBH, I find it hard to believe that Anelka is anti-Semitic or has any motivation to be anti-Semitic

Have you looked into this at all? Because it sounds like you haven't bothered, but are happy to assume that this issue is caused by over sensitivity.

keane2097

Good work to Pro. F and Fr. Tod in this thread.

Utopia Parkway

dreamers75 wrote: »

Does anyone think it was anti semitic or anti establishment?

Seems to be used by both in France. Which is where the confusion arises.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qgxZ6JEynk

Lennonist

Utopia Parkway wrote: »

Seems to be used by both in France. Which is where the confusion arises.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qgxZ6JEynk

From that video it's an anti-establishment symbol. A youthful two fingers to the political elites in France and globally, which could include the Israeli government perhaps but that doesn't make it anti-semitic. It's been said that far right groups have co-opted the symbol as anti-semitic, but again in that video clip it isn't used as an anti-semitic gesture. I doubt Nicolas Anelka is anti-semitic or meant the symbol to be anti-semitic.

Is there any precedents for players getting 5 game bans for political gestures of whatever kind on the field of play? Did Robbie Fowler get banned for 5 games when he wore and displayed a t-shirt in support of striking dockers? Mark Bosnich I remember made some kind of Nazi salute in a game v Spurs, did he get banned?

Lennonist

keane2097 wrote: »

Good work to Pro. F and Fr. Tod in this thread.

What's this work you're talking about?

keane2097

Their posts ldo.

By the way, if you think a guy who self-describes as an "anti-Zionist" but is presumably anything but an anti-Semite just happened to invent a gesture that looks remarkably reminiscent of a Nazi salute, but has nothing to do with anti-Semitism and isn't meant to make Jews think of Nazis and the Holocaust then, bluntly, you're a dope.

Lennonist

keane2097 wrote: »

Their posts ldo.

People giving their opinions on a website is hardly what I would describe as work.

keane2097 wrote: »

By the way, if you think a guy who self-describes as an "anti-Zionist" but is presumably anything but an anti-Semite just happened to invent a gesture that looks remarkably reminiscent of a Nazi salute, but has nothing to do with anti-Semitism and isn't meant to make Jews think of Nazis and the Holocaust then, bluntly, you're a dope.

The video I've seen posted there above doesn't have any anti-semitic references that I can see. You appear to have a problem with people who may have an opinion that varies from yours.

Couple of questions for you. Do you think Nicolas Anelka is anti-semitic? Do you think he meant that gesture to be interpreted as anti-semitic?

keane2097

Lennonist wrote: »

People giving their opinions on a website is hardly what I would describe as work.



The video I've seen posted there above doesn't have any anti-semitic references that I can see. You appear to have a problem with people who may have an opinion that varies from yours.

Couple of questions for you. Do you think Nicolas Anelka is anti-semitic? Do you think he meant that gesture to be interpreted as anti-semitic?

You're perfectly entitled to your dopey opinion IMO, I'm happy to spend as much time on it as it deserves. There's a very good chance Anelka is a dope.

Lennonist

keane2097 wrote: »

You're perfectly entitled to your dopey opinion IMO, I'm happy to spend as much time on it as it deserves. There's a very good chance Anelka is a dope.

So when you disagree with someones opinion on something you describe their opinion as dopey, that's mature.

My opinion on the specific subject matter of this thread is that I believe the company Zoopla were bang out of order preempting the FA charge and using the incident to get some publicity for themselves. Fr. Tod the guy who you say is doing great "work" on this thread agreed with the viewpoint that they "garnered publicity from it".

Anelka is facing the charge from the FA so I guess he'll answer for himself then. I'm prepared to wait to hear what he says, I'd suggest that you could do the same before childishly branding him a dope.

Pro. F

Utopia Parkway wrote: »

Seems to be used by both in France. Which is where the confusion arises.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qgxZ6JEynk

Dieudonné, the man who invented the Quenelle, talks anti-semitic hate all the time. Dieudonné appears all throughout that video, far more than any other person. There are also lots of stills of posters advertising his shows throughout the video. Check out the youtube channel that video was posted on. All of the recent activity, since that video was posted, is related to Dieudonné.

Don't let yourself fall for the phoney rhetoric he uses to obscure and confuse the issue. Dieudonné is a hate merchant and the Quenelle is his thing.

keane2097

Lennonist wrote: »

So when you disagree with someones opinion on something you describe their opinion as dopey, that's mature.

Typically, when someone starts a post on boards with "So when" it's because they are about to make a generalisation that is typically incorrect, as in this case.

You may search back through my post history and see how many times I've called someone's opinion dopey and I expect you will find it's very infrequently. I disagree with people a lot.

Think of it as kind of a prize.

Lennonist wrote: »

My opinion on the specific subject matter of this thread is that I believe the company Zoopla were bang out of order preempting the FA charge and using the incident to get some publicity for themselves. Fr. Tod the guy who you say is doing great "work" on this thread agreed with the viewpoint that they "garnered publicity from it".

I don't really care too much about what Zoopla did, I'm more interested in the people who are trying to play the quenelle off like it isn't anti-Semitic.

Lennonist wrote: »

Anelka is facing the charge from the FA so I guess he'll answer for himself then. I'm prepared to wait to hear what he says, I'd suggest that you could do the same before childishly branding him a dope.

I been hearing what he says for nigh on fifteen years at this stage old stock.

Pro. F

Lennonist wrote: »

From that video it's an anti-establishment symbol. A youthful two fingers to the political elites in France and globally, which could include the Israeli government perhaps but that doesn't make it anti-semitic. It's been said that far right groups have co-opted the symbol as anti-semitic, but again in that video clip it isn't used as an anti-semitic gesture. I doubt Nicolas Anelka is anti-semitic or meant the symbol to be anti-semitic.

Is there any precedents for players getting 5 game bans for political gestures of whatever kind on the field of play? Did Robbie Fowler get banned for 5 games when he wore and displayed a t-shirt in support of striking dockers? Mark Bosnich I remember made some kind of Nazi salute in a game v Spurs, did he get banned?

Where has this been said?

keane2097

Pro. F wrote: »

Where has this been said?

People on the far right stole it from a self-described anti-Zionist apparently.

ArmaniJeanss

Lennonist wrote: »

Couple of questions for you. Do you think Nicolas Anelka is anti-semitic? Do you think he meant that gesture to be interpreted as anti-semitic?

Has to be a reasonable chance that he is anti-Semitic - his self proclaimed 'good friend' has been convicted of anti-Semitic crimes in the French courts on many occasions and Anelka claims to have done this gesture in support of said friend. The gesture is known to have been used by far right groups in Auschwitz and Dachau for the lolz.

So NA using it is somewhere between 'completely stupid' and 'completely anti-Semitic', in my opinion veering towards the latter.

Augmerson

RayCon wrote: »

But they didn't terminate the contract , they let it run down and chose not to renew.

Maybe I didn't word that right, but I was asking has it happened that other incidents like this have happened, and sponsors have parted ways. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.

Lennonist

keane2097 wrote: »

Typically, when someone starts a post on boards with "So when" it's because they are about to make a generalisation that is typically incorrect, as in this case.

You may search back through my post history and see how many times I've called someone's opinion dopey and I expect you will find it's very infrequently. I disagree with people a lot.

Think of it as kind of a prize.

He starts a paragraph talking about people making generalisations with the word "typically":rolleyes:.

keane2097 wrote: »

I don't really care too much about what Zoopla did, I'm more interested in the people who are trying to play the quenelle off like it isn't anti-Semitic.

This thread is specifically about Zoopla's response to this incident.

keane2097 wrote: »

I been hearing what he says for nigh on fifteen years at this stage old stock.

Does Anelka have form in this regard, has he said or done things that are politically or potentially racially controversial before?

He's being charged by the FA for this incident, so I guess we'll hear if he has an explanation or not. The point pertinent to this thread is that Zoopla appeared to have preempted the judgement for their own publicity benefit.

keane2097

Lennonist wrote: »

He starts a paragraph talking about people making generalisations with the word "typically":rolleyes:.





This thread is specifically about Zoopla's response to this incident.





Does Anelka have form in this regard, has he said or done things that are politically or potentially racially controversial before?

He's being charged by the FA for this incident, so I guess we'll hear if he has an explanation or not. The point pertinent to this thread is that Zoopla appeared to have preempted the judgement for their own publicity benefit.

You'll notice I said typically twice.

Lennonist

keane2097 wrote: »

You'll notice I said typically twice.

I've addressed a couple of questions to you and you've avoided them, instead you just throw out general snide remarks in response. You said yourself that you argue with people a lot, it's not hard to see why.

Dempsey

Pro. F wrote: »

Have you looked into this at all? Because it sounds like you haven't bothered, but are happy to assume that this issue is caused by over sensitivity.

Probably as much as you have tbh

Did you know anything about the Quenelle before Anelka made his gesture?

keane2097

Lennonist wrote: »

I've addressed a couple of questions to you and you've avoided them, instead you just throw out general snide remarks in response. You said yourself that you argue with people a lot, it's not hard to see why.

I wasn't sure the one question you asked me was serious.

Suffice it to say that when a person makes a racist gesture in support of his racist friend I don't particular need him to say "Yes, David, I am indeed a racist" before getting an inkling about what sort of character he is.

Hope that helps.

3 Dollar Bill

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/samir-nasri-quenelle-picture-emerges-2973479

What about a charge for Nasri & Sakho?

Are these lads exempt as they didn't do it on the pitch?

RasTa

keane2097 wrote: »

People on the far right stole it from a self-described anti-Zionist apparently.

Is their much difference between a Zionist and an anti-Zionist?

keane2097

RasTa wrote: »

Is their much difference between a Zionist and an anti-Zionist?

I dunno, google it.