Hatem Ben Arfa’s adventure at OGC Nice lasted only 9 days. On Wednesday, FIFA refused to validate the transfer of the French international.
The reason is simple: Ben Arfa wore the Newcastle shirt during an under-21 competition, and it is forbidden to play for three different clubs in a single season.
To be continued…
A fiasco? No, rather a quite convoluted imbroglio. Monday, January 5th, 5:20 PM, Hatem Ben Arfa was presented to the press at the Allianz Riviera. Two hours later, he was drawing an impressive crowd in front of the club’s shop on Place Massena.
Last Saturday, on the morning of the Nice-Lorient match, it was announced that he was not eligible due to a certificate received too late. The beginning of complications.
The news came on Monday morning in a statement: the French Football Federation prohibits, until further notice, Ben Arfa from playing with OGC Nice. The reason being the ban, during a season (July 1st to June 30th), on wearing three different shirts according to Article 5, Paragraph 3 of the player’s status and transfer regulations.
To put it simply, Hatem Ben Arfa was initially under contract with Newcastle, with which he played at least one match in the reserve championship (Professional Development League reserved for under-21s with the addition of other excluded players, those returning from injury, etc.).
A competition deemed “unofficial” by the English Federation according to a statement. The playmaker then moved to Hull City on loan where he played 9 matches. The French international then terminated his contract with Newcastle before heading to the Côte d’Azur.
The FFF therefore requested additional information from FIFA regarding this regulation point. This concerned the youth competition where Ben Arfa played, whether official or unofficial. This Wednesday around 5:30 PM, the statement was issued: FIFA considers the English competition official.
Therefore, Hatem Ben Arfa cannot play with OGC Nice. The transfer of Ben Arfa to Nice would therefore be null and void.
The end or perhaps the beginning of a long story with appeals, request for waivers, etc…