Nigel de Jong must be banned for as long as Hatem Ben Arfa takes to recover from broken leg, insist angry Newcastle

Nigel de Jong should be banned from football until Hatem Ben Arfa is back playing again.

That is the view of Ben Arfa's Newcastle team-mate Jose Enrique, who was enraged by De Jong's horror challenge that left the Frenchman with a broken leg at Manchester City.

Wild: Nigel De Jong flies in on Hatem Ben Arfa at Eastlands on Sunday

Ben Arfa broke his leg in two places under wild challenge from Nigel De Jong during Newcastle's 2-1 defeat at Eastlands on Sunday and will be out until March.

And Enrique, who has seen his team-mate start life brightly at St James' Park, thinks De Jong's punishment should match the time Hatem Ben Arfa has to spend on the sidelines.

He said: 'They should ban De Jong until Ben Arfa can play again. De Jong shouldn't be allowed to play football. His tackle was criminal. He already injured another player (Stuart Holden) last season.'

The FA are unlikely to punish Nigel De Jong for the tackle as the referee saw it and chose not to award the foul.

But Enrique insists that would not be the case with a more high-profile player, adding: 'If it was Rooney who was injured instead of Ben Arfa, they would make an example of him.'

De Jong has though been punished by his country, with Holland manager Bert van Marwijk dropping him for the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers against Sweden and Moldova.

Nigel De Jong was also in the spotlight for the wrong reasons during the World Cup Final for his kung-fu kick on Spain's Xabi Alonso, which only merited a yellow card.

'I think it's very good that the Holland coach has left him out of the squad,' said Enrique.

'But Newcastle have been left with just two wingers until the January transfer window. It's hurt us.

'The referee (Martin Atkinson) was laughable – the worst I have seen. He didn't even give a foul for the challenge. De Jong is one of those players who walks a tightrope every time he plays. As far as I know, he didn't even come to say sorry after the match.'

Hatem Ben Arfa has already insisted he will come back strong despite the huge blow just a handful of games into his spell on loan at Newcastle from Marseille.

He said: 'I'll be back. I will be working hard to play again in a black-and-white shirt and to perform against for the brilliant Newcastle fans. It will be a long road back, but I have to stay positive.'

Nightmare: Hatem Ben Arfa is carried off with a broken leg.