Lyon accuse West Ham of 'lack of respect' after Said Benrahma failed transfer

Lyon have appealed to FIFA regarding the Benrahma transfer

Late on the 2024 January Deadline Day, West Ham winger Said Benrahma’s transfer to Ligue 1’s Lyon fell through.

The French team, feel the Hammers failed to enter the necessary information into FIFA’s Transfer Matching System (TMS), and are furious that their agreement to sign the forward has been cancelled.

Benrahma was scheduled to begin a loan with the Ligue 1 team after completing a physical, to make a permanent move worth approximately £17 million this summer.

“On February 2, Olympique Lyonnais strongly regret the failure of the transfer of Saïd Benrahma, for reasons beyond our control, and question the behaviour of West Ham, who failed to finalise the required administrative procedures despite all the agreements concluded,” a statement read.

“Olympique Lyonnais were delighted to welcome Saïd Benrahma to Lyon this Thursday to finalise his transfer from West Ham. The two clubs had signed a temporary transfer agreement, and Olympique Lyonnais had obtained the approval of the DNCG to allow the transfer to take place in a fluid and transparent manner.”

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“However, in the early evening, when Olympique Lyonnais had entered all the administrative data on FIFA’s dedicated platform (FIFA TMS), West Ham had never launched any technical procedure on their part, despite OL’s repeated reminders and continuous mutual telephone communication.”

“In the absence of this reciprocal action on the part of the English club and following this incomprehensible behavior, raising questions, the international transfer certificate could not be requested before closing time.”

Benrahma left Brentford to join a loan deal with West Ham in 2020. A few months later, the deal was finalised permanently for a sum that would eventually reach £30 million.

This campaign, he has only made five starts for West Ham in the Premier League and has yet to score in any tournament.

The Algerian’s last performance for the Hammers came when he was sent off for kicking out in the FA Cup match vs Bristol City last month, as the Championship team eliminated David Moyes’ team.

A West Ham spokesperson said: “West Ham United can confirm that the Deadline Day deal for Saïd Benrahma to join Olympique Lyonnais was not concluded ahead of the deadline, with a deal unable to be completed before 11pm.”

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