The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed an appeal filed by French footballer Hatem Ben Arfa against a FIFA decision which blocked him for playing for Ligue 1 side Nice last season.

The 28-year-old midfielder had been set to join Nice during the winter break but was caught up in an administrative mix-up before FIFA and the French football governing body stepped in to block the transfer.

Ben Arfa had played a game with Newcastle's reserves during the summer of 2014 before being loaned out to Premier League rivals Hull City, meaning he was prevented from joining Nice due to a rule that a player can only play for two clubs in a single season.

The former Lyon and Marseille forward spent six months without a club before returning to France after five years in England by joining Nice at the start of the current season.

In his appeal, Ben Arfa sought the annulment of the FIFA decision, but CAS said in a statement "the player did not prove how the annulment of the FIFA Decision would impact him financially or sportingly".

"In conclusion, the Panel found that Hatem Ben Arfa did not have standing to challenge the FIFA Decision and dismissed his appeal," the statement added.