Hammers may face €44m fine

WEST HAM were last night pondering their next step after an independent arbitration panel’s verdict found against the club in the Carlos Tevez affair.

Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe claimed victory yesterday after a 16-month battle to right the perceived injustice of going down in place of a side who were fined a record £5.5million, but not deducted any points, for playing Tevez and Javier Mascherano in breach of league rules on third-party ownership.

The panel are yet to determine the size of the payout, although a figure of up to £30 million (€44.1m) has been suggested.

A Hammers spokesman said: “The club need to digest the full findings of the arbitration panel and will consult lawyers before considering the next steps that we might take on this matter. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.”

Neil Warnock was in charge of Sheffield United at the time, but later left Bramall Lane after the club were relegated as Argentina international striker Tevez fired the Hammers to safety. Warnock, now at Crystal Palace, believes the money is a poor substitute for the future his side could have enjoyed in the Premier League.

However, he insisted: “It’s a matter for justice and I think everyone in the country knows this is the right verdict.

“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’s the principle of the whole thing. We were appalled by the original verdict.”

“(Relegation) changed one or two lives and it shouldn’t have happened. This verdict puts your faith back into the justice system. The club itself is geared up for the top level and it knocked us back no end.

“I think we would be doing very well (in the Premier League). It (relegation) is on my CV, which it shouldn’t be.”

Announcing the arbitration panel’s findings, McCabe said: “I can confirm that both clubs have been notified of the ruling. 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.”

Tevez and Mascherano are both long gone from Upton Park, earning lucrative moves to Manchester United and Liverpool respectively, while Kia Joorabchian, whose MSI company were judged to have partially owned the Argentinian pair, is now a transfer consultant with the Hammers.

He had originally taken legal action against the east London club, claiming he was owed £7.1million, but the parties agreed an out-of-court settlement earlier this year.

West Ham’s decision on whether or not to appeal against this latest Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling may hinge on the level of compensation that is fixed when the arbitration panel meet again to determine a figure.