Anelka hired as sporting director for 4th-tier club Hyeres

HYERES, France (AP) — Former France and Chelsea forward Nicolas Anelka was hired as the sporting director of fourth-tier French club Hyeres on Wednesday.

The 41-year-old Anelka won the Premier League with both Arsenal and Chelsea and lifted the Champions League trophy with Real Madrid. But his international career ended in humiliation when he was sent home from the 2010 World Cup after a clash with then-coach Raymond Domenech.

The club announced Anelka's hiring on its website, a day after French businessman Mourad Boudjellal took over the club.

Boudjellal transformed the fortunes of Toulon's rugby club from a second-division side to a three-time European champion, bringing in star names like Sonny Bill Williams and Jonny Wilkinson.

Hyeres plays in the National 2 league and is located in southeast France, about 36 kilometers (22 miles) from the Mediterranean city of Toulon.

Boudjellal had reportedly failed to take over French soccer giant Marseille, the only French club to win the Champions League.

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