Fifa have turned down Marseille's appeal to sign Fabien Barthez from Manchester United outside of the transfer window.
A special commission decided against allowing l'OM the right to bring the World Cup winner to Stade Velodrome on loan, although the move can obviously take place on January 1 when the window reopens.
The whole messy affair has been a mistake by Marseille, who have rather unnecessarily unsettled number one Vedran Runje.
Barthez is out in the cold at Old Trafford with Roy Carroll deputising for impressive first choice Tim Howard, and the Northern Ireland number two is set to replace the American again in the UEFA Champions League tie with Stuttgart on Tuesday evening.
Marseille head for an away game with Partizan Belgrade in the Champions League knowing that a draw would be sufficient to assure the South Coast club of a place in the Uefa Cup.
A special commission decided against allowing l'OM the right to bring the World Cup winner to Stade Velodrome on loan, although the move can obviously take place on January 1 when the window reopens.
The whole messy affair has been a mistake by Marseille, who have rather unnecessarily unsettled number one Vedran Runje.
Barthez is out in the cold at Old Trafford with Roy Carroll deputising for impressive first choice Tim Howard, and the Northern Ireland number two is set to replace the American again in the UEFA Champions League tie with Stuttgart on Tuesday evening.
Marseille head for an away game with Partizan Belgrade in the Champions League knowing that a draw would be sufficient to assure the South Coast club of a place in the Uefa Cup.