Arsenal star was hit with huge 18-match ban after dressing room fallout

France face Spain in the semi-finals of the World Cup tonight and one former Arsenal star may be watching on with a haunted expression

As France prepares to face Spain in tonight's World Cup semi-final, the tournament may stir painful recollections for one former Arsenal striker.

Nicolas Anelka was handed an 18-match ban and removed from the France squad following a heated dressing room altercation with the manager. The former Gunner spent two seasons in north London, making 42 goal contributions in 90 appearances.

He also represented Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool, claiming both the Premier League and the Champions League during his career. Anelka was a mainstay in the French national setup, earning 69 caps and finding the net on 14 occasions.

Lifting the European Championship in 2000 was undoubtedly a high point, yet he is best remembered for his heated fallout with manager Raymond Domenech at the 2010 World Cup. Anelka was dumped from the squad following the confrontation, and his teammates rallied behind him throughout the ensuing chaos.

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The French squad subsequently went on strike in solidarity with their teammate and were eliminated in the group stage in South Africa, managing just a single goal. The dispute arose during France's defeat to Mexico in their second group stage encounter.

The players left the pitch at halftime, and Anelka felt the full force of Domenech's anger in the dressing room. "I was frustrated going into the locker room," Anelka recalled.

"I was thinking to myself, 'I'm not getting the ball, I'm not finding a solution. We're playing badly, it's 0-0 and we still haven't scored.'

"All of a sudden, the coach came in and called me out by name. When he called out my name with all that pent-up frustration it just came out because I didn't like it. I didn't like that he called me out by name as if I were guilty, as if it were all my fault.

"I took it as an attack. It was a big mistake. He had to know I was frustrated. He had to know I was a volcano about to erupt."

Anelka was axed from the squad and instructed to apologise for his outburst, yet he refused to back down, prompting his teammates to withdraw from training in a show of solidarity. France crashed out of the World Cup and Anelka received an 18-match ban from international football, handed down by the French Football Federation.

Incoming manager Laurent Blanc also handed suspensions to every member of the World Cup squad for their conduct ahead of his debut match in charge against Norway. Anelka never pulled on the France shirt again and retired in 2016 at the age of 36.

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