Paris Saint-Germain Face Threat of Legal Action Over 'Freezing Out' Controversial Attacker

Hatem Ben Arfa's lawyer Jean-Jacques Bertrand has claimed that Paris Saint-Germain are 'freezing out' and discriminating against the attacker by forcing him to train with the club's reserve's side. 

The 30-year-old had already been excluded from first team training at the start of September, but was reintroduced after a letter from Bertrand was sent to the club's sporting director, Antero Henrique. 

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However, L'Equipe have now reported that Arfa - who turned down a number of offers to leave Parc des Princes in the summer - is set to once again be relegated to the reserves, a move which has his lawyer screaming discrimination, appearing to threaten legal action. 

He said: "We demand that the club respects its obligations. There is a very clear regression in Hatem's working conditions here.

Arfa has yet to feature for PSG this season and Bertrand is of the belief that any decision to make his client train with anyone but the first team would be in breach of LFP rules which are present to ensure contracted players have access to a certain level of training standards. 

He added: "The method employed is designed to weigh on the mind of the individual. Each time they have informed Hatem by telephone after he left the training centre.

"It started in July with the [preseason] training camp in the United States. They asked for his passport at first and then let him know -- by telephone -- on the eve of the departure that he would not be going.

"This week they asked him to train with the reserves on Tuesday so as not to disrupt preparations for the match against Bayern. Hatem understood that.

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"He returned this morning [Thursday] with the pros then -- as he arrived home -- they called him to say that he will be training with the reserves again tomorrow [Friday], without any explanation.

"What was presented as a temporary measure is in fact permanent in disguise. It's a lack of respect for a staff member -- a real freezing out."

It is not the first time PSG have been involved in a similar dispute as in 2011 they were forced to allow Peguy Luyindula to join back in with first team training after he successfully appealed the club's decision to exclude him.