Hatem Ben Arfa

In April 2022, following a Lille match against Bordeaux, Hatem Ben Arfa was involved in a dressing-room altercation with Tiago Djaló and subsequently had a heated exchange with coach Jocelyn Gourvennec. He posted Instagram messages targeting Gourvennec and president Olivier Létang, whom he described, in particular, as « twisted ». Lille suspended him.

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Hatem Ben Arfa was excluded from PSG's first team for an extended period from spring 2017 until his contract expired in 2018. Believing that the exclusion was based on non-sporting reasons and deprived him of bonuses, he brought employment tribunal proceedings seeking several million euros.

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In February 2019, Hatem Ben Arfa failed to report as planned to the team hotel before a Rennes match against Marseille. The club excluded him from the match squad.

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In May 2019, Hatem Ben Arfa publicly criticised the quality and ambition of Rennes' football following a match against Guingamp. Julien Stéphan described his remarks as incomprehensible and harmful to team cohesion.

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Following a serious deterioration in relations with Newcastle's coaching staff, Hatem Ben Arfa was loaned to Hull City in 2014. His time at Hull also ended prematurely and amid conflict after only a few appearances, with the player leaving England before the scheduled end of his loan.

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Following France's elimination from Euro 2012, Hatem Ben Arfa was implicated in a verbal altercation with national coach Laurent Blanc in the dressing room. The FFF reviewed his conduct and issued a formal warning without suspending him.

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In summer 2010, while seeking a move to Newcastle, Hatem Ben Arfa entered an open dispute with Olympique de Marseille's management. After the club initially refused to release him on the proposed terms, he left the training centre and declared that he would not return.

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In October 2008, unhappy about not being in the starting line-up against PSG, Hatem Ben Arfa refused to warm up when asked by the coaching staff. The incident sparked considerable controversy within the club.

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Early in his professional career at Lyon, Hatem Ben Arfa was temporarily sent to the reserve team after arriving late for two first-team briefings. The episode became one of the first notable disciplinary disputes of his career.

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