Sheffield United 1-1 West Ham (extra time to follow)
The Tevezcherano saga has – whether you realised it or not – been simmering away in the background since the end of the 2007 season and has reached boiling point once again. Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe claims an independent tribunal has found in favour of his club as they seek £30m in compensation from West Ham.
Another tribunal will set the amount of compensation at a later date, and it is unlikely that even that will put an end to the matter. West Ham are reportedly now considering an appeal and could decide to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The Blades’ frustration is understandable, but surely a time has to come when they draw a line under the events – regardless of how hard done by they feel – and move on. There is no use in relentlessly pursuing the issue. They will end up some obsessive club in the Blue Square Premier League still talking about how they were robbed of Premier League football. There is no good that can come of continuing to focus on this issue – it is to the detriment of the club’s current performances.
Besides which, there is no outcome which can be reached which does not risk throwing English football into total chaos. And there is barely a person left in West Ham’s off-field hierarchy who remain at the club from when the controversial transfers were made. Will they force the Hammers’ new owners to pay up for the previous regime’s mistakes? Or promote a hopelessly under-equipped Sheffield United into the Premier League, while West Ham move to Championship with the burden of Lucas Neill’s wages hanging around their neck like a heavily pregnant koala bear. It is never going to happen.
A series of appeals and counter-appeals is not going to benefit either club. At this rate it will end up with a geriatric Carlos Tevez taking to the stand with the aid of a walking stick to try to resolve the matter once and for all in about 50 years time.
In short: Sheffield United, you were robbed, but get over it for your own sake!
Previous coverage on Soccerlens:
Sheffield United are just sore losers
Sheffield United to sue West Ham – apparently they like begging
Could Sheffield United please shut up?
Did Sheffield United violate Rule U18?
The Sheffield United – Premier League arbitration report and West Ham’s impossible position
Topics: Carlos Tevez, English Championship, English Premier League, West Ham
Football News 24/7
Robbed? how was they robbed when all they had to do was draw their last game of 2007.
You are right, there will be more hearings now and maybe one of them will be about the playing of an illegal player called Kaba from Sheffield Utd
September 23rd, 2008 @ 13:11What the f*?# r u on about?
September 23rd, 2008 @ 14:17Wesh ham broke the rules. They got sheffield united religated. It cost sheffield united more than £30 million, the best manager they had ever had and one of the best defenders they had ever had. Admittidly Steve Kabba was played illegally, but he didnt cost anyone religation did he? besides he was only worth £500 thousand
Last year my understanding was that West Ham were in the wrong, yes, but that the ‘establishment’ would do nothing to change things around. Sheffield United got the short end of the stick, and 30m won’t be going their way, ever.
September 23rd, 2008 @ 14:52Hmm, interesting point Joe Jobson.
A draw would have indeed saved us, but then again you are working on the assumption that all the teams were playing on an even field.
They weren’t. West Ham had cheated. Got away with a paltry fine and told that Tevez couldn’t play again if he was owned by a 3rd party. He was, he did play again and scored the winner away at Man U and those 3 points kept West Ham up.
I suggest you check your facts before bringing up Kabba at Watford.
This is a quote from Watford FC at the time of the allegations:
“We have yet to receive any notification or requests from the Premier League regarding the transfer of Steve Kabba to Watford Football Club from Sheffield United†before puncturing the whole thing anyway by saying “We can confirm that there was no written clause in any documentation relating to Steve Kabba that stipulated he could not play against Sheffield United…All contracts are vetted and approved by the Premier League prior to the player’s registration†(13).
The Premier League never investigated because there was nothing to investigate. There was no agreement and Kabba didn’t play because he wasn’t getting into the first time at that time. He hardly didget into the first team and is at Blackpool now.
I suggest you look down and take note of all those straws you are desperately trying to cling on to!
September 23rd, 2008 @ 15:17Strike my last comment – with the independent tribunal ruling against West Ham, there’s a chance West Ham would have to pay up at least something to get rid of SU.
September 23rd, 2008 @ 18:30Ian Boydon, I decide that YOU check your facts.
WestHam broke TWO Premier League rules.
Rule one concerned full disclosure to the Prem League which West Ham didn’t do.
Rule two concerned 3rd party INFLUENCE – not ownership, which IS allowed under Prem League rules.
At no point was Tevez an ILLEGAL or ILLEGIBLE player for West Ham. Don’t believe me? Read the full report from the original case, I did.
Secondly, Kabba played 14 out of Watford’s last 15 games… The only one that he didn’t was against Shef U!! The reason that Prem League didn’t investigate was that all the evidence was circumstantial as cleverly there was nothing written into the contract.
I disagree with Rob Parker about Shef U letting go. If they were genuinely hard-done by, they should keep going.
However, the fact that they went down is all down to themselves, nothing to do with West Ham. That’s like Chelsea blaming their failure to win the Champions League on Man U winning it.. well, derr!
Explain this to me Ian, Adam and any other Shef U sympathisers; At the orginal case, West Ham ADMITTED that they had broken the rules. They did this BEFORE they knew what the outcome would be.
The panel sitting decided AFTER this fact to FINE them and NOT to deduct points.
Why is that West Ham’s fault?
September 24th, 2008 @ 15:15and who was on the panel that decided to fine west scam, sir trevor brooking, cant recall the club he was heavily involved with, can you ? and dave richards, sheffield wednesday fan and ex wednesday chairman. they gave it a fair hearing, didnt they ?
November 10th, 2008 @ 21:31we win, now show us the money
April 6th, 2009 @ 20:17