A Football Association arbitration hearing ruled in favour of Sheffield United in their claim for compensation from West Ham over the Carlos Tevez third-party ownership affair, on this day in 2008.
The Blades were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2006/07 season when West Ham beat Manchester United 1-0 to secure top-flight safety, with Tevez scoring the only goal of the game.
However, the Hammers were fined a record £5.5million by the Premier League for fielding Tevez and Javier Mascherano as they were ineligible to play under league rules regarding third-party ownership.
#OTD 2007: Sheffield United were relegated from the Premier League, while West Ham survived thanks to Carlos Tevez #WHUFC#twitterbladespic.twitter.com/3WzJyVc2wM— PA Dugout (@PAdugout) May 13, 2017
Sheffield United wanted to have their place in the Premier League reinstated, insisting a monetary fine was insufficient, but after failing in this regard they aimed to achieve financial settlement.
Regarding the ruling, then-Blades chairman Kevin 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.”
A statement released by West Ham 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.”
Both clubs eventually reached an out-of-court settlement over the Tevez affair in March 2009, with the agreement being described as “satisfactory settlement for compensation”.
