Sheffield United win compensation in Tevez case

An English FA arbitration panel has ruled in favour of Sheffield United's claim for compensation against West Ham United in the Carlos Tevez affair, the Championship (second division) club confirmed on Tuesday.

In a statement on their website (www.sufc.co.uk), the club said they were successful in the case, although the exact amount of compensation to be awarded has not yet been announced.

Club chairman Kevin McCabe has said in the past that relegation cost the Blades at least 50 million pounds ($92.23 million) in lost revenues. A figure of 30.0 million pounds compensation has been reported, but has not been confirmed.

However, McCabe told the club's website on Tuesday: "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."

United were relegated from the Premier League on the final day of the 2006-07 season, when West Ham beat Manchester United [Images] 1-0 with a goal from Tevez and the Blades lost 2-1 at home to Wigan Athletic.

The Yorkshire club appealed to the League claiming that Tevez, and his fellow Argentine Javier Mascherano were ineligible to play for West Ham under league rules regarding third-party ownership.

The Premier League subsequently fined the Hammers a record 5.5 million pounds for fielding the players during the season. Mascherano had little impact playing only five matches for the Hammers, but Tevez scored six goals in the last 10 matches of the campaign to revive West Ham and help save them from relegation.

Sheffield United initially appealed to be re-instated to the Premier League but after that was rejected they pursued a financial settlement.

A West Ham spokesperson told BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday: "We need to digest the full findings of the arbitration panel and will consult our lawyers on the next steps we might take before making any further comment."

Tevez subsequently moved to Manchester United while Mascherano now plays for Liverpool.

© Copyright 2008 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.