Tribunal findings today - West Ham to pay Sheff Utd £30m?

[Royal Rother]

Shame I can't find the old thread where it was discussed at length at the time.

West Ham face the possibility of a £30m damages payout after an independent tribunal found in Sheffield United's favour over the Carlos Tevez affair. Tevez played for the London club in the 2006-07 season while illegally registered and his displays were instrumental in West Ham avoiding relegation at the expense of the Blades, who finished three points behind them but with a superior goal difference.

The compensation figure has yet to be set but United are reported to be demanding £30,396,897. Of that amount, £21,788,795 is for lost television and marketing money, along with lost bonus payments for league positions. Also included is a claim of a loss of £4m on the sale of Phil Jagielka to Everton. The Yorkshire club say the defender was worth £8m at the time but he had a buyout clause in his contract of £4m if they were relegated. The rest of the claim is for ticket sales and other commercial activities.

The tribunal, chaired by Lord Griffiths, is expected to release its findings today. According to the Daily Mail, the judgment reads: "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. 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's keenness to sell players this summer is now thought to have been prompted by a need to raise funds in anticipation of the judgment. Freddie Ljungberg was paid to leave to get him off the wage bill, Bobby Zamora and John Paintsil were sold to Fulham, and Richard Wright and Nolberto Solano also left. The sale of Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney to Sunderland, apparently against Alan Curbishley's wishes, precipitated the manager's resignation. Seven other players - including Dean Ashton, Craig Bellamy and Scott Parker - are also thought to have been available at the right price.

[Deathy]

As much as I don't want to see a Championship rival handed a huge amount of money like that, I'd LOL so hard at West Ham who are already a bit hard up thanks to ol' egg head and his stint in charge of the club.

[TFF]

If this is true we should put in a claim for consequential losses.

If Colin's team had stayed up they'd certainly have been one of the "three worse teams" than Reading last season.

[Baines]

I hope that the tribunal's reasons get made public.

[Gordons Cumming]

If this is true we should put in a claim for consequential losses.

If Colin's team had stayed up they'd certainly have been one of the "three worse teams" than Reading last season.

Can we make a claim too?

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

ABout time too.

It's a disgrace West Ham got away with playing Tevez in those final few matches.

Far too many on this board seemed to find it more amusing Warnock had got relegated rather than being concerned that the Premier League clearly tried to keep West Ham up.

As Dave Whelean said at the time, it was all about the Premiership wanting teams like West Ham, not Sheff Utd in the league.

[Stooper]

ABout time too.

It's a disgrace West Ham got away with playing Tevez in those final few matches.

Far too many on this board seemed to find it more amusing Warnock had got relegated rather than being concerned that the Premier League clearly tried to keep West Ham up.

As Dave Whelean said at the time, it was all about the Premiership wanting teams like West Ham, not Sheff Utd in the league.

I think it was more like wanting world famous names like Tevez and Mascherano in the league tbh.

[Winchester Royal]

And that's what Manchester United and Liverpool are for...

[Archie's penalty]

Very interesting.

Adds a new slant to the Curbishley leaving debate.

[Silver Fox]

As Dave Whelean said at the time, it was all about the Premiership wanting teams like West Ham, not Sheff Utd in the league.

Too right, I'm sure they're just trying to work out how to get rid of Wigan now

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

As Dave Whelean said at the time, it was all about the Premiership wanting teams like West Ham, not Sheff Utd in the league.

Too right, I'm sure they're just trying to work out how to get rid of Wigan now

Just glad we could be of help to the PL last season.

[papereyes]

If this is true we should put in a claim for consequential losses.

If Colin's team had stayed up they'd certainly have been one of the "three worse teams" than Reading last season.

Might have been. Depressingly, I'm not so sure.

It's a disgrace West Ham got away with playing Tevez in those final few matches.

That's the bit that annoyed me most. The decision came in with a handful of games to go and they really could have said "he perhaps shouldn't have played in these 20 odd games before. Too late to do much about that so he's not eligible to play in any more until we've sorted this all out properly". If West Ham sort it - fine. If they don't, or can't, then they lose Tevez.

That's fair, rational, sensible.

[Franchise FC]

The way I read this is that Sheff Utd have ben proved correct that West Ham should have had points deducted. It follows that, since the amount of money they are reported to be in line for is one seasons worth of Premier League money, that the tribunal considered they would be relegated the following year. Since we were the ones that finished in the highest relegation place, presumably they would have taken our place and we would have survived.

West Ham - cough up our £30m

[Avon Royal]

No.

[SteveRoyal]

[Top Flight]

I see where you're coming from.... Following that sequence of events you are right. We'll meet West Ham in the courts.

[Patch]

I don't understand why West Ham are facing paying compensation to Sheffield United at all, OK so the rules werebroken and they should have been deducted points and weren't but surely Sheffields case is against the Premier League or FA who made th decision not to deduct points rather than the club that benefitted?

Am I missing something?

[The whole year inn]

Brooking will wriggle them out of this, the slimy oxf*rd always does

[Woodcote Royal]

ABout time too.

It's a disgrace West Ham got away with playing Tevez in those final few matches.

Far too many on this board seemed to find it more amusing Warnock had got relegated rather than being concerned that the Premier League clearly tried to keep West Ham up.

As Dave Whelean said at the time, it was all about the Premiership wanting teams like West Ham, not Sheff Utd in the league.

Couldn't agree more and said so at the time.


The compo sounds about right but why shouldn't relegation be an automatic consequence of this judgement as well?

[Dirk Gently]

If this level of compensation is awarded in full then it's not a question of relegation. West Ham will suffer financial oblivion - certainly adminstration and possibly worse.

Do people really want to see a club possibly go out of existence because of this?