Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Warnock considers suing West Ham over Tevez

Former Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock is taking legal advice over whether to pursue a personal compensation claim against West Ham United over the Carlos Tevez affair.

Neil Warnock

BarringtonCoombs/Empics

Neil Warnock: Still seething over the Tevez affair

The Blades and West Ham settled the long-running affair out of court on Monday with the Hammers agreeing to pay their rivals an undisclosed fee believed to be as high £25m following the Sheffield club's relegation in 2007.

West Ham were fined £5.5m by the Premier League for failing to fully disclose the terms of the deal that brought Tevez and Argentinian compatriot Javier Mascherano to England.

Sheffield United claim Tevez's goals kept the Hammers in the top flight at their expense, with Warnock resigning three days after their relegation.

Warnock has long contended that he and Sheffield United's relegated players could sue West Ham for loss of earnings resulting from their relegation to the Championship.

The 60-year-old, now manager of Crystal Palace, told the Daily Mail: ''I'll be looking into this now. I just wanted to see the club's case out of the way first.

''As far as I'm concerned, I should still be a Premier League manager. And I think the players have a case, too.''

Warnock is not alone in considering taking matter further with reports in The Times suggesting that as many as 20 past and present Sheffield United's players are considering their own legal action against the Hammers for loss of wages and bonuses.

Referring to the settlement, Warnock continued: ''It justifies what we've said all along. We've had a lot of people criticise us for taking it this far - but that's what justice is all about. But this still doesn't make it right for me or the United fans - or anyone else involved.''

Warnock reiterated his view that Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore should have resigned over the affair and believes a bigger club would have been treated differently.

''I think Scudamore is an absolute disgrace,'' added Warnock. ''I'd love to get him in a room on my own for an hour, no holds barred. If it was any other club, Scudamore would have made sure the facts came out. I find it amazing that he has kept his job.

''If it had been a big club, the truth would have come out earlier and it would have been sorted.''

A joint investigation by the Premier League and Football Association into the Tevez and Mascherano signings is ongoing.

Warnock is confident the Blades would have established themselves as a Premier League team had it not been for the Tevez saga.

''I don't think anything can really compensate you for losing your Premiership status. Everybody knows it was my dream job,'' Warnock told Sky Sports News.

''I think we could have been an established Premier League side. You only have to look at Phil Jagielka, the way he's playing now (for Everton).

''We had high hopes of taking the club forward by our first summer, spending the money to keep up there like one or two other clubs have done in the past.''

''I know the players are looking again and I'll be seeking legal advice myself but at the moment I'm not going to say any more than that,'' he said.

''I've been in touch with the legal people. We've been adamant right from day one that if the rules had been adhered to we wouldn't have been relegated.''

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