Film-maker Bruno Sevaistre, who produced a documentary series from 1999 to 2002 that featured the daily lives of Ben Arfa and a host of other young players at France’s Clairefontaine football headquarters, has been given access to the footballer’s life away from the pitch.
In the ‘A la Clairefontaine’ series, the teenage Ben Arfa and fellow future professional Abou Diaby were seen grappling in an angry exchange.
Sevaistre said: “I feel a little responsible for all the media exposure around Hatem and the consequence this has had on his career.
“This film, or this series - it hasn’t been decided yet - is a way to redress the balance.
“We don’t always see the best of Hatem. I filmed him crying with those close to him, but he is a boy who is the total opposite to his reputation. He is sensitive, serious, fragile.
“People don’t have any idea of the obstacles he has had to overcome in his career.”