January 10 – Florent Malouda, who was handed a two-match ban for playing for French Guiana at last year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, is to appeal today before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Malouda made 80 international appearances for France between 2004 and 2012 before switching to the country of his birth since it is a non-FIFA association.
French Guiana were playing in the Gold Cup for the first time and Malouda had already played for the country without sanction in the Caribbean Cup.
But he was ruled ineligible for the Gold Cup since the tournament uses FIFA rules.
Malouda played in French Guiana’s second match in the United States last July resulting in the game being forfeited to Honduras after finishing as a 0-0 draw. He was suspended for two games by CONCACAF, given a stadium ban and fined, while the Guiana Football League was also fined.
Malouda, the former Chelsea winger, played in the 2006 World Cup final for France against Italy but told AFP last month that he was considering his future, having not played club football since a stint with Dehli Dynamos in the Indian Super League in 2016.
He spent six seasons with Chelsea after signing from Lyon in 2007, winning the 2012 Champions League and the 2010 Premier League title.
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