West Ham could be set for a £30m payout after an independent FA tribunal ruled in Sheffield United's favour over the Carlos Tevez affair, and the Blades have not given up hope that as a result of today's ruling the Premier League may also be forced to take action.
"The Blades began their legal fight for reinstatement some 16 months ago, which also included an arbitration hearing against the Premier League," said United in a statement on their website. "This award could now pose a question as to what the Premier League will do." United refused to comment further on the matter when questioned by guardian.co.uk today and it is unclear what further action the Premier League could take, with reinstatement an impossibility, though a hefty windfall from West Ham now seems likely.
United's claim dates back to the 2006-07 season when Tevez played a major role in helping West Ham avoid relegation, at the expense of Neil Warnock's side. In April 2007 the Hammers were fined £5.5m by the Premier League for breaching the rules in relation to Tevez and Javier Mascherano, but were not docked any points. Tevez was cleared to play on for the Hammers, Mascherano having departed for Liverpool in January, and the Argentine striker scored the only goal of the game in West Ham's 1-0 win over Manchester United on the last day of the season, a result that ensured the club stayed in the top flight.
United lost an initial appeal against their relegation in the summer of 2007, but continued their fight in an FA tribunal. That tribunal has today ruled in their favour.
"I can confirm that both clubs have been notified of the ruling," said the United chairman, Kevin McCabe. "The arbitration panel has awarded in our favour. The matter is still legally in process so I do not wish to comment any further until we have completed that process."
Warnock, the Blades' manager during the club's season in the top flight, said today that he feels justice has been done. "I think everyone in the country knows this is the right verdict," he told Sky Sports News. "This justifies what Kevin McCabe has said all along: that we were hard done by, that it wasn't done legally and we were fighting for our rights. It was scandalous. It changed one or two lives and it shouldn't have happened. This verdict puts your faith back into the justice system."
The Daily Mail today suggests that United are demanding £30,396,897.32 from the London club, with £21,788,795 of that figure considered to be compensation for the loss of Premier League status. The rest of the sum is based on reduced transfer fees, season ticket sales, merchandising and "lost business opportunities".
"We have no doubt that West Ham would have secured at least three fewer points over the 2006-07 season if Carlos Tevez had not been playing for the club," reads the tribunal's judgment according to the Mail. "Indeed, we think it more likely than not on the evidence we heard that even over the final two games of the season West Ham would have achieved at least three points less overall without Mr Tevez. He played outstandingly well in the two wins West Ham secured in those last two games."
West Ham are believed to be considering an appeal, but because both clubs and the FA agreed to the tribunal it is unclear whether or not they have the right to do so.
"We need to digest the full findings of the arbitration panel and will consult our lawyers on the next steps we might take before making any further comment," a West Ham spokesman told the BBC.
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