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Marseilles could sue De Jong over Ben Arfa tackle
Disgraced Dutch midfielder now faces legal action after tackle that snapped his opponent’s leg
Football's latest pariah, Nigel de Jong, could face legal action from Marseilles over the tackle that left their player Hatem Ben Arfa with a broken leg.
Manchester City midfielder De Jong faced widespread condemnation after the challenge on Ben Arfa. He was even dropped from the Holland squad by manager Bert van Marwijk, who said he had "a problem" with De Jong's aggressive style of play.
Ben Arfa was on loan from Marseilles at Newcastle when he came up against De Jong earlier this month and ended up with a broken tibia and fibula. The French winger has since undergone surgery on the double break and will be out of the game for six months.
Referee Martin Atkinson did not penalise De Jong for the tackle at the time, ruling that it was a fair challenge. But the FA are now coming under pressure to take action against the midfielder.
And now Ben Arfa's parent club is threatening De Jong with legal action. Jean-Claude Dassier, the chairman of Marseille, announced: "We will file a complaint against De Jong. It's about getting rid of this type of individual from European grounds."
De Jong apparently wanted to visit Ben Arfa in hospital to apologise after the incident a week ago, but was not allowed to by the injured player. Ben Arfa's agent now says that De Jong is yet to apologise for breaking his client's leg.
According to other reports De Jong, one of the few Manchester City players not on international duty this week, has told colleagues that he is devastated by the injury and the reaction to it.
However, the Dutchman must be used to having opprobrium poured on his head. His chest high kick on Xavi Alonso during the World Cup final was widely condemned, although he escaped with just a yellow card for the shocking tackle. In March he broke the leg of Bolton Wanderers midfielder Stuart Holden during a match between Holland and USA.
He now has such a reputation that Sparta Rotterdam coach Jan Everse was moved to tell the world that "De Jong needs to see a mental doctor".
One man who is standing by him is City boss Roberto Mancini who is giving the player his support, and is likely to name him in the squad to face Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on Sunday. ·
