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Alex Song; an ex-Arsenal and Barcelona player has surprisingly signed with the Djibouti football club; Arta Solar 7.
The 33-year-old has been without a team since March when he and eight other players were dismissed by Swiss club FC Sion for refusing a pay-cut amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. So it came as a surprise to his Fans when Alex posted on Twitter the following; “I have signed a two-year contract with Arta. This is an opportunity to promote Djibouti football”
Arta won last season’s Djibouti Cup as they finished fourth in the country’s top flight. The cup victory means Song’s new club qualified for the Confederation Cup, the second-tier African club competition, where they will face Egyptian side Arab Contractors in the preliminary round. The club has confirmed he will be unveiled officially on Thursday. Local media have also reported that Song will also oversee the club’s youth development, a decision made after he met with the club’s president.
However, the move has come as a surprise to many with Djibouti ranked at 185 out of the 210 nations on Fifa’s latest rankings while they are 51 in Africa, with only Somalia, Seychelles and Eritrea ranked lower in the continent.
It seems in stark contrast to his earlier career that saw him move from French side Bastia to English club Arsenal before joining Spanish giants Barcelona for a fee of $20 million. But it may be a win for both him and Djibouti.
