FIFA Blocks Hatem Ben Arfa’s Move to OGC Nice
It’s official: Hatem Ben Arfa will not be allowed to join OGC Nice this season. On Friday, FIFA ruled that the match the French midfielder played with Newcastle United’s U21s against Reading last August counts as an official match.
This decision has major consequences. According to Article 5, paragraph 3 of FIFA’s regulations, a player is not allowed to appear in official matches for more than two clubs in the same season. Ben Arfa had already featured for Newcastle (U21) and Hull City (on loan), and thus cannot be registered to play for a third team, in this case, Nice.
This ruling ends weeks of debate about whether Ben Arfa’s appearance with Newcastle’s youth team would be considered “official” and thereby invalidate his transfer to the Ligue 1 club.
A frustrating blow for both OGC Nice, who had high hopes of signing the former Lyon and Marseille playmaker, and Ben Arfa, who was seeking a fresh start in France after a difficult spell in England.
