From discrimination to corruption and just about everything and anything in between, there have been plenty of crimes and misdemeanors levelled against FIFA in recent years. But, alas, there’s no reason to expect change any time soon.
Hatem Ben Arfa’s suspension flies in the face of fairness and fun
FIFA aren’t letting Hatem Ben Arfa play this season, and it makes no sense.
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The recent challenges to Sepp Blatter's personalistic regime are either token gestures, publicity stunts or both; and the one man who had the potential to rock the boat, Michael J. Garcia, quit after his investigation into the World Cup bidding process was effectively covered up.
And as if things couldn't get much worse, they're now stopping Hatem Ben Arfa from playing football.
This latest in a long line of serious wrongdoings comes after the French playmaking wizard moved to Nice on a free transfer earlier this month, after his contract was terminated by Newcastle United. The issue is over article 5.3 of FIFA’s player regulations, which states:
“Players may be registered with a maximum of three clubs during one season. During this period, the player is only eligible to play official matches for two clubs.”
It's true that Hatem Ben Arfa started the season at Newcastle and then moved on loan to Hull City, but he never made a first-team appearance for the Magpies in the current Premier League campaign. Instead, FIFA have ruled an appearance for Newcastle's reserve team back in August was an official match, and so Ben Arfa now has to sit out the remainder of the season. According to Nice, FIFA have effectively overruled the English FA in banning him from turning out in competitive games for the next six months.
It’s was actually the LFP -- the governing body of France’s major leagues -- who have made the decision, but only on recommendation from FIFA. It is an utterly absurd decision that seems to benefit no one at all. The club have announced they will appeal to the adminstrative court, though with the backing of both the French and international governing bodies, it’s unlikely that the ruling will be overturned.
Clearly, there are reasons why this rule exists. They may well be reasons founded on FIFA logic, but there are reasons nonetheless. Aside from the slightly complex contractual and administrative wrangling that could potentially be caused by a player hopping from club to club in a space of a few months, a quick scan further down FIFA’s player regulations makes reference to “the sporting integrity of the competition,” though that is with particular emphasis on when a player seeks to register for more than a couple of clubs in the same league. But, as is plain to see, neither of these concerns are really applicable in this instance.
But more than anything else, FIFA are once again proving themselves to be enemies of fun. Just ask Ben Arfa himself:
“I do not understand why they would try to stop me from playing in France, my home. I have only one desire -- to play again on the pitches of Ligue 1, to have fun with my team-mates, and to give pleasure to the fans who have welcomed me as ever.”
On first glance, this scarcely looks any different to what you'd expect from the whining soundbites of a footballer necessitated by an age of around-the-clock media. But upon closer inspection, it is Ben Arfa in a nutshell. Here is a mercurial attacker who was drop-kicked out of Humberside by a red-faced Steve Bruce for not running hard enough in his side's match against Manchester United; a man who the granite-faced harbinger of doom John Carver couldn't find any room for at Newcastle. A player who seems to care for nothing but enjoying himself. And who on Earth thinks running and defending is fun?
Just like Eric Cantona, or Dimitar Berbatov, or even the recently retired Juan Román Riquelme, there is something about players like Ben Arfa that is almost universally endearing. It’s no surprise all of the aforementioned were fan favourites at their clubs. Their childlike narcissism seems to reflect something inherent in us all -- only they’re a little less concerned about concealing it. But aside from that, they have an other-worldly mastery of the ball; a touch and grace that ranks them above mere water-carrying. A manager’s nightmare, maybe; a fan’s dream, certainly. They remind us these massively overpaid, overhyped pixels on the TV or specks in the distance are actually incredible athletes. They can do things none of us can. In short, they remind us why we love sport.
Of course, that Ben Arfa is Ben Arfa (and not Kevin Nolan or Charlie Adam or another such killjoy) doesn't mean the rules should be applied any less stringently (as sad as that may be), but it only serves to amplify the visceral indignance over FIFA's ridiculous technicality. The only good news is it gives Ben Arfa an excuse to spend the next few months back on the beaches of the French Riviera for the first time since he left Marseille five years ago. For a player of such elegance, that seems like his natural home.
However, until he’s allowed to make his debut, the pitches of Ligue 1 will be unquestionably more miserable places.
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