Premiership Facing Legal Threat
Wigan,Charlton,Fulham and Sheffield Utd to Sue over West Ham Fine
West Ham United's £5.5 million fine has angered the clubs facing relegation. Wigan Athletic, Charlton Athletic, Fulham and Sheffield United are threatening legal action.
Anger is mounting among Premiership clubs at the leniency shown to West Ham United over the irregularities in the transfer of the Argentine players Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano from the Brazilian club, Corinthians, last summer.
Last week, rather than receiving a punishment that included a deduction of points, West Ham were fined £5.5 million. With the London club fighting a battle against relegation, the other clubs in that struggle are very annoyed and see it as West Ham receiving favourable treatment.
If West Ham avoid relegation, Wigan Athletic, Sheffield United, Fulham and Charlton Athletic are considering taking legal action against the Premiership and the Hammers.
Commission's Decision
In last week’s hearing West Ham led by their new owner/Chairman, Eggert Magnusson, had pleaded guilty and made the case that the misdemeanours had occurred under a previous regime. The independent commission obviously looked favourably on them for pleading guilty and for the fact that a loss of points at this late stage of the season would immediately consign them to the Championship next year.
However, these arguments receive little sympathy or understanding from the other clubs near the bottom of the Premiership because they will lose millions if they are relegated instead of West Ham United. Two other clubs who are not threatened with relegation but who feel aggrieved are Blackburn Rovers who lost to West Ham while they were playing their ineligible players and Middlesbrough who had three points deducted in 1997 for not fulfilling a fixture because of players’ injuries and illness and were consequently relegated.
The decision taken by the commission has raised the question of fairness of judgements and all teams being treated equally regardless of their standing within the game.
Wigan Athletic’s Chairman, Dave Whelan, has sought legal advice on this matter and is planning to meet with the other clubs to discuss what action they should take.
West Ham Recovery
In recent weeks West Ham have made a spirited fight against relegation with wins over Arsenal, Everton and Wigan. Where they once looked doomed, they have now recovered to move above Charlton and are only one point behind Wigan and Fulham who have slipped into trouble over the past few months and are struggling to remain in the Premiership. With two games remaining West Ham look in a better position to retain their status than either of those clubs, although their final matches are against Bolton Wanderers and at Old Trafford against Manchester United. Sheffield United are equally concerned as they are only three points above West Ham.
With the new television deal that has been agreed, losing Premiership status could cost a club £70million over two years. That figure makes West Ham’s fine seem so insignificant and goes a long way to explain the wrath of the other clubs and their reason for taking legal advice on possible actions open to them.
Some of the Premiership authorities may be secretly hoping that West Ham lose their final two games in order to avoid this whole matter being taken through the courts. Such an outcome would save the embarrassment of it rumbling on all summer with the uncertainty about the eventual outcome and making it difficult to make preparations for next season.
West Ham United may have escaped lightly but with football clubs now under the control of powerful, wealthy businessmen who are prepared to challenge any decision that is unfavourable to their club, the final outcome of this matter may be some months away. Unless West Ham United are relegated, of course, and then the football authorities will give a collective sigh of relief.
