With the hunt still on for their third Designated Player, expansion club New York City FC were linked on Thursday morning to 27-year-old French international Hatem Ben Arfa.
French outlet L’Equipe reported on Thursday that NYCFC have entered discussions with Ben Arfa, who had his contract with Nice terminated on Tuesday after FIFA ruled that he cannot play for the Ligue 1 club due to the fact that he had already played in competitive matches for two teams – the Newcastle U-21s and Hull City – this season.
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FIFA rules state that a player may not play “official matches” for more than two clubs in a single season, meaning Ben Arfa will not be able to play in Europe until the 2015-16 season starts in July. He would, however, be able to play in MLS from the start of the regular season, as the upcoming MLS campaign falls outside of FIFA’s single-season purview, rendering their two-team maximum irrelevant.
L’Equipe reported that Ben Arfa would view any move to MLS as temporary and that the former Lyon and Marseille man would look to transfer back to Europe in time for the start of the 2015-16 season.
That would seem to be a sticking point in any negotiations the winger may be having with the league. Indeed, multiple Americanoutlets are reporting that Ben Arfa will not be moving to NYCFC.
Ben Arfa made 72 appearances for Newcastle after signing with the club on a permanent basis in 2011, scoring 12 goals before wearing out his welcome with the EPL side earlier this season. He has 13 career caps with the French national team and appeared for Les Bleus at Euro 2012.
