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.