Argentine Ortega cleared to resume career

BUENOS AIRES, Sept 9 (Reuters) -- World Cup forward Ariel Ortega has been given the all-clear to end his 18-month soccer exile and begin his comeback with Newell's Old Boys, the Argentina Football Association (AFA) said on Thursday.

The Argentine, banned by FIFA in February 2003 and told to pay $11 million in compensation to Turkish club Fenerbahce for a breach of contract, has been given a temporary 10-day licence by world football's governing body while the two clubs finalise his transfer.

"Today [Thursday], the licence has come from FIFA in a provisional form of 10 days so that Ortega can play again," AFA spokesman Raul Steimberg told Reuters.

"With the licence, Ortega can play at the weekend for his club (Newell's) and then everything can be solved when the clubs finish signing all the agreements."

"Our club has reached agreement with Argentina's Club Atletico Newell's Old Boys involving the transfer of Ariel Ortega," said Fenerbahce on their website.

"Once both clubs agree on the necessary conditions for the transfer, FIFA will issue Ortega a 10-day temporary licence. We will announce the details of the player's transfer in the coming days."

Ortega joined Fenerbahce from River Plate after playing in his third World Cup in 2002. The $7.5 million deal was one of the Turkish club's biggest transfers.

But he failed to settle and left the club during his first season in Turkey. He hoped River Plate would take him back but the Argentine club lacked the funds to even try to negotiate a way out of Fenerbahce for Ortega.

FIFA brokered the deal between Rosario-based Newell's and Fenerbahce for Ortega's release for 3.5 million euros ($4.26 million), the Argentine club's press officer Jose Garcia said last month.

Ortega, who has made 86 appearances for Argentina and scored 17 goals, had hoped to play for Newell's from the start of the Apertura championship but was forced to wait for the two sides to complete the paperwork.

His last international was in the friendly against the Netherlands in February 2003, which Argentina lost 1-0.

Ortega's club career has included two stints at River Plate and spells with Sampdoria and Parma in Italy and Valencia in Spain.

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