Axe Anelka! West Brom's shirt sponsors tell club to drop Frenchman after quenelle gesture or they will lose £3m deal



Zoopla say Anelka must be dropped for Monday's game at home to Everton

Anelka should know by early next week whether the FA will charge him

Striker performed gesture after scoring against West Ham in December

The two-year deal with the property website is due to run out this summer

Sponsors Zoopla have told West Bromwich Albion to axe Nicolas Anelka or lose their £3million deal.

The former France striker should know early next week whether the FA will charge him over the quenelle gesture he made after scoring against West Ham three weeks ago.

Albion fear he could be handed a lengthy ban and have called on the FA to speed up their investigation.

Gesture: Anelka is to discover his fate after an FA investigation into his goal celebration at West Ham

Controversy: The quenelle is a gesture linked with anti-Semitism back in Anelka's French homeland

But, according to a report in Marketing Week, the property portal has contacted the club to voice their dissatisfaction following Anelka’s actions, which some say carry anti-Semitic overtures.

Zoopla, owned by Jewish businessman Alex Chesterman, say Anelka must be dropped for Monday night’s game against Everton and have told the club they will want their name removed from the club’s shirts immediately if he plays.

A club spokesman said: ‘West Bromwich Albion will be making no further comment until the Football Association have concluded their investigation, and the club their own internal enquiry, into the matter.’

Back in action: Anelka featured in West Brom's last game - away at Southampton Bittersweet: Anelka performed the salute after scoring the first of two goals in a 3-3 draw with West Ham

Albion had played down the issue and kept the 34-year-old striker in their side. But they are aware of the arguments around the incident and are conscious of the club’s image.

One Jewish Albion fan said: ‘I want to support the club I love, but their refusal to issue a real apology or remove Anelka from first-team selection makes that somewhat difficult.’

If Anelka does receive a long ban, it would cast a shadow over his Albion career. Signed by former manager Steve Clarke in the summer, he got off to a troubled start when he announced he planned to quit the game following the sudden death of close friend Eric Manasse.

Though Clarke convinced him to play on, Anelka struggled for form, then suffered a series of injuries.

National outrage: The quenelle was popularised by Anelka's 'friend', French comedian Dieudonne. Here, anti-Dieudonne protesters converge on Paris in opposition against the controversial figure Friends: The then-West Brom acting head coach Keith Downing says that the gesture was a dedication from Anelka (right) to his French comedian friend Dieudonne (left), which Anelka reiterated on Twitter



Zoopla.co.uk is a property website and is part of the Zoopla Property Group Ltd, a privately held company whose shareholders include DMG Media, a division of DMGT plc, the company which owns the Daily Mail.



CAUGHT UP IN THE RACE ROW

Mamadou Sakho

The Liverpool defender was pictured twice doing the gesture, once with Dieudonne, last

month. But he later said he did not know what it meant and had been ‘tricked’.

Yannick Sagbo

The Hull forward tweeted a picture of Anelka’s celebration and wrote: ‘Anelka is a legend i love him is a best french striker’ and included a message of support for Dieudonne.

The website’s two-year deal is due to run out this summer and no announcement has been made about a renewal. The latest problems almost certainly leave the club looking for a new backer for next season, if not before.

The authorities have to consider the legalities of the Frenchman’s latest predicament and the club’s sporting and technical director Richard Garlick has asked the FA to come up with a decision quickly.

He said: ‘It would help everyone for the investigation to be over as soon as possible. The FA have given a statement about how quickly they would do that.’

Anelka could be short of firepower without Anelka, having sold Shane Long to Hull City yesterday.

However, the club have confirmed they will not be spending during the transfer window.

‘We have a number of strikers who have emerged, including Saido Berahino,’ said Garlick. ‘If we need to get a short-term deal to solve any striking issue, then we will try to do that.

‘We have a good selection of strikers. They have all trained this week.’

Controversial: This picture of Samir Nasri (left) apparently performing the 'quenelle' was on social media sites Defiant: A group performs the 'quenelle' salutes in front of the theatre Dieudonne's performing at