Lyon slam West Ham over botched Benrahma transfer

French football club Olympique Lyonnais has accused English Premier League side West Ham United of showing a “profound lack of respect” after the proposed transfer of Algerian forward Said Benrahma fell through on deadline day.

In a statement on Friday, Lyon claimed that West Ham failed to complete the necessary steps on FIFA’s Transfer Matching System (TMS), before the January transfer window closed on Thursday night. This meant that the required international transfer certificate for Benrahma could not be obtained in time, leading to the transfer collapsing.

“Following this incomprehensible behaviour, the international transfer certificate could not be requested before closing time”, Lyon said. “Olympique Lyonnais deeply regrets this situation and this decision, demonstrating a profound lack of respect on the part of West Ham towards the institution and the player.”

The French club suggested they could take further action against The Hammers, saying “The club reserves the right to initiate all appropriate procedures necessary to validate the transaction at a later date and to hold West Ham responsible if necessary.”

West Ham did not address Lyon’s specific claims about why the deal broke down but confirmed to Reuters that the transfer was not completed before the deadline.