Newcastle United are hugely disappointed by the article that appeared in The Sun on Wednesday, 1st May, concerning Hatem Ben Arfa, on the basis that their assertion was totally without foundation and completely untrue.

The Club is 100 per cent supportive of Hatem.

Articles such as this are an attempt to destabilise the Club and the team at a crucial period in the season.

Supporters should be aware that the Club and Hatem are taking the strongest possible action against this flagrant false reporting.

The Sun did not have the courtesy to check the facts with the Club or the player before publishing the piece. Had they done so they would have been told there was no truth in it whatsoever.

Hatem said: "I was shocked when my attention was drawn to the article in The Sun newspaper on Wednesday morning.

"It is totally inaccurate, misleading and has caused me great personal upset and frustration."


The Sun:

Hatem Ben Arfa has riled suffering Newcastle fans by wearing a Paris Saint-Germain kit in a local gym.

The French winger was kitted out in a PSG training top and shorts at a Tyneside health club on Monday night — two days after their humiliating 6-0 defeat by Liverpool.

An onlooker told SunSport: “Ben Arfa was laughing and joking with two French pals in the weights room — he didn’t seem to have a care in the world.”

Ben Arfa is a lifelong fan of the French giants and in January admitted it would be a dream to play for his home-town team.

Gym-goers were furious to see one of their heroes swanning around paying no attention to relegation rivals Aston Villa and Sunderland slugging it out on the TV screens around him.

Ben Arfa, 26, has not started a league game since December after hamstring troubles. He came on as a second-half sub against Liverpool — one of seven French players on the pitch for Newcastle.

Fans have turned on Toon’s under-performing foreign flops, as well as boss Alan Pardew.

The supporter added: “Ben Arfa did not look at the TV, even though Villa beating Sunderland could have a huge impact on our chances of staying up.”

photo: nufc.co.uk