Chelsea forward Nicolas Anelka says former France coach Raymond Domenech made him feel disgusted with soccer by forcing him to play out of position during the World Cup.
Anelka, sent home from South Africa for verbally abusing Domenech, told Thursday's edition of France Soir newspaper that the former France coach ''should be ashamed'' after making ''a casting mistake.''
Domenech criticized Anelka for playing out of position and took him off during halftime of the first-round game against Mexico on June 17, prompting Anelka to launch a profanity-laced tirade at the coach.
''My biggest regret is that I was not given the chance to play in my best position,'' Anelka said. ''If the coach wanted to take a player which stays in the box, he shouldn't have picked me. He made a casting mistake.''
Domenech was replaced after the World Cup by former French national team player Laurent Blanc.
''It's the coach (not the players) who should be ashamed after his refusal in front of the world to shake hands with the coach of South Africa,'' Anelka said.
Domenech refused to shake Carlos Alberto Parreira's hand after France lost its final game 2-1 in South Africa.
''And they told me that I have no respect?'' Anelka said. ''I have no respect for kamikazes. If he (Domenech) wanted to kill himself, he should have done it alone, but not with us.''
Anelka never denied ranting at Domenech but took French sports daily L'Equipe to court for libel after it printed details of the altercation, accusing the newspaper of distorting his words.
After Anelka's alleged words were splashed across the front page of the newspaper, the French Football Federation sent the forward home, and the following day the entire team went on strike at training in protest.
''I'd like to see Domenech confessing to the world that I didn't use those words,'' Anelka said. ''I wish he had the honesty to say it, and to say it to his mother, too.''
Anelka revealed he even thought about leaving the national team after a pre-World Cup exhibition in Tunisia.
''I was already sick of playing that way,'' Anelka said. ''But three senior players asked me to stay for the team. I finally stayed and I should not have.''
