French amateur player Ali Bedredine suspended for 91 years by his federation

October 7, 2010 - 0:0

French international player Ali Bedredine has been suspended for the next 91 years by the French Football Federation (FFF). The FFF suspended him after discovering that he had two different licenses. Bedredine won't be able to play in an official game again until January 1st, 2100, when he would be 120 years old.

The problem that has been going on for over a year is that he had a license with two different teams that are part of two different organizations; one belongs to the FFF and another one to the UNCF.
""I didn't do anything wrong. I represent France and I'm suspended for 91 years,"" Bedredine said in an interview with digital newspaper Chronofut.
In that same interview he said that it was ""unheard of"" and that when french first-division midfielder Youssouf Hadji from Nancy ""tried to hit a referee"" he was only suspended for six months—a suspension that (after an appeal) only lasted six games. Bedredine is suspended for more than nine decades for playing in two leagues with two different teams.
""It's like not letting a guy swim and play tennis at the same time,"" he continued, making a reference to the lack of a rule against what he did.
""Suspended until December 31st, 2099...it's unthinkable."" He sees himself immersed in a giant legal labyrinth that started when the FFF sent a letter to his team in which they said that he had to chose a team. ""It's just that the team was closed in August,"" he stated.
It was thanks to a certified letter sent directly to Bedredine that he discovered his punishment. He had the option to appeal, but the time he had to do it was already over.
""If they want to deprive me of football, they should say so. I'm not a professional and I wanted to play a year or two more and then start teaching."" He added.
However this story may have a happy ending as a year into his suspension his story has made it to the media and they have been pressuring the FFF to review the case. Bedredine sent a letter 10 days ago to the FFF and has yet to hear whether they will allow him to play again.