Court to rule in Tevez affair

West Ham should discover today whether they will have to accept defeat in their legal battle against Sheffield United over the Carlos Tevez affair.

The Blades are seeking a permanent injunction to prevent West Ham taking an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.

If the High Court rule in Sheffield United’s favour, it spells the end of West Ham’s legal challenge and the club would have to face up to a hefty compensation bill – the Blades are claiming up to £50m (€61.3m).

If the Hammers win, then another round of legal wrangling will take place as CAS decide whether they have jurisdiction over the case.

A West Ham defeat would also have implications for the price Icelandic owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson can expect if, as now seems very likely, he decides to sell the club.

An independent arbitration panel ruled in September that Tevez should not have been permitted to play in the final matches of the 2006-07 season, where the Argentina striker helped West Ham avoid relegation – Sheffield United were relegated instead.

West Ham have always argued they had already been punished by the Premier League – they were fined £5.5m (€6.74m) – and were merely following league instructions.

The arbitration panel decided, however, the Hammers had not abided by their pledge to end all third-party agreements in relation to Tevez and found in favour of Sheffield United.

West Ham have since tried to appeal to CAS, but have so far been unable to secure a decision that the court has the jurisdiction to hear the case.

If West Ham lose the High Court ruling, their lawyers will seek to minimise damages by scrutinising every detail of Sheffield United’s compensation claim.

It would be unlikely a final figure would be decided before February.