Ben Arfa missed the trip to Swansea before Christmas because he had a court apprance 9am the following day, although Alan Pardew made an excuse: "Hatem has a slight injury" ... which obviously he didn't.
The French forward didn’t travel to the Middle East with his team-mates after Saturday’s 3-1 win over West Ham United at Upton Park.
Manager Alan Pardew has taken his team to Abu Dhabi for a week’s warm-weather training.
The club has refused to comment on Ben Arfa’s absence from the trip.
