Football
Jonathan Johnson, PSG correspondent 7y

Hatem Ben Arfa's exile at PSG is 'disrespectful, brutal' - agent

Hatem Ben Arfa's lawyer has claimed that the player has no idea why he is being made to feel so unwanted by Paris Saint-Germain.

Ben Arfa, 30, was left out of PSG's Champions League squad on Monday and sent to train with the reserves as PSG try to force him out of the club.

Speaking with RMC Sport, his lawyer, Jean-Jacques Bertrand, has insisted that his client has done nothing wrong by trying to honour his contract, which expires at the end of this season.

"We are talking about sporting values and respecting contracts," Bertrand said. "There has been no failure, in this respect, on Hatem's part. He has been left out brutally and in a disrespectful manner, which does not comply with a footballer's code of ethics.

"Why? We would like to pose that question to the coach, the president and the sporting director because there has been no indication. Since the start of last season, he has never been granted a meeting with the president -- despite several requests.

"There is no explanation. Hatem is a player of talent and as recently as last year, we were talking about perhaps the best French footballer. His qualities have not disappeared overnight!

"Everybody knows that Hatem has matured a lot. If things were not going as hoped at a sporting level, this is something we can talk about. He has played in every position that he was asked to. He never complained."

Ben Arfa featured 23 times in Ligue 1 last season but only started five matches, providing one assist.

His exile from Unai Emery's senior squad is reported to stem from an incident last campaign, which involved the Emir of Qatar when he was visiting the club that he finances.

"The episode last season with the Emir of Qatar? I cannot tell you exactly what he said but it was not what has been reported, he has always spoken with respect," Bertrand said in defence of Ben Arfa." Asked if Ben Arfa had requested a meeting with the Emir, he said: "Not at all.

"He was at the training session and like the others, he greeted the Emir in his language and he said something like, 'I am having trouble speaking with the president.'

"If that was it, then he has paid dearly for somebody's pride. There was no derogatory connotation. He simply welcomed the club's owner."

Ben Arfa was linked with moves to Fenerbahce and former club Nice this summer but rejected these opportunities and Bertrand insisted it was because of his love for the club and his desire to succeed in Paris.

"People need to understand his fundamental love for the club," Bertrand said. "That is how it is. In any case, there was no negotiations for a termination of his contract. Hatem expected to be able to negotiate something. A player cannot be blamed for respecting his contract.

Asked about Nice, he said: "He can always move there as a joker [transfer between windows], that is a possibility. We need to sit down and discuss things. Right now it is like a player without a contract being told to leave."

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