West Brom Sponsor Ends Deal After Anelka Gesture

West Brom sponsor Zoopla has confirmed it will not renew its sponsorship of the club at the end of the season following Nicolas Anelka’s quenelle gesture, which has seen the striker charged by the FA and likely to land a minimum five game ban.

The property search firm is an official club partner of the team, replacing Bodog on the shirt in 2012, and is the club’s most lucrative sponsorship agreement to date.

Anelka made the sign, described as an inverted Nazi salute and declared by some to be anti-Semitic, after scoring against West Ham on 28th December, reportedly in support of performer Dieudonne M’bala M’bala, whom the French government has tried to ban from making the sign at his shows.

Meanwhile Zoopla, co-owned by Jewish businessman Alex Chesterman, will focus on other marketing activities.

Anelka has said he will not to repeat the celebration and West Brom have since continued to select the Frenchman, who started in Monday’s 1-1 draw against Everton.

In a statement, the property company said: ‘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.’

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

The FA statement said that Anelka made a gesture which was ‘abusive and/or indecent and/or insulting and/or improper’.

The governing body appointed an expert to help determine the outcome of their investigation into the gesture, which Anelka made after scoring in a 3-3 draw at Upton Park.