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Warnock wants Scudamore to quit over Tevez
NEIL WARNOCK has called for the resignation of Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore after Sheffield United's unprecedented legal victory in the battle for compensation from West Ham United over the Carlos Tevez affair.
Former Blades manager Warnock, now in charge of Crystal Palace, says the Premier League 'completely mis-managed' the punishment initially meted out to the London club and claims Scudamore's position is now untenable.
"I think they wanted to brush it all under the carpet as quickly as possible," said Warnock. "This is now justice, but I think he (Scudamore) should take a look at himself. If we had had stronger leadership from the Premier League, Sheffield United would still be in the Premier League. It's a resignation issue."
A Premier League spokesman declined to comment on the resignation call, but said the previous legal proceedings had absolved the League of blame.
The Blades have won the right to seek damages from the Hammers after an FA tribunal ruling that Tevez was worth more than three points to the London club during the battle to avoid the drop in the 2006/07 season.
The compensation figure has yet to be set, but the Blades are demanding 30.4m based on loss of television income, reduced sponsorships, a fall in season tickets and a 4m loss on the sale of defender Phil Jagielka as a result of relegation.
In April 2007, the Hammers had escaped with a 5.5m fine rather than a points penalty for acting improperly in relation to the signings of Argentinian internationals Tevez and Javier Mascherano.
When the Blades were relegated on the final day of that season – with Tevez scoring the winning goal against Manchester United to ensure the Hammers finished three points ahead of the Blades – it prompted chairman Kevin McCabe to launch a protracted 'fight for justice.'
Although the Blades lost a Premier League arbitration hearing and a subsequent High Court challenge, McCabe refused to concede defeat and took the case to a Football Association arbitration in pursuit of compensation from the Hammers.
Even now, the Hammers are still considering an appeal against the latest ruling although that decision may hinge on the level of compensation fixed by the arbitration panel.
They are scheduled to meet in eight days and, if there is no agreement, the next step will be the appointment of an accountancy firm to assess the level of damages.
The Blades are understandably keen to receive their pay-out as soon as possible to enable manager Kevin Blackwell to spend money on new players after his side's slow start to the new season.
Frank Clark, vice-chairman of the League Managers' Association, was one of the key witnesses for the Blades in the arbitration process.
"When I was approached by Sheffield United I was more than happy to be a witness because I did feel there had been an injustice," he said. "The issue was 'does a special player make a difference to a team?' – and that almost goes without saying.
"Sometimes you have a crisis of confidence when you're an expert witness but, in terms of my own conscience, it was an easy thing to do. I'm absolutely delighted they've won the case."
A series of expert witnesses gave evidence on how much Tevez influenced West Ham's performances, with former England manager Graham Taylor and Warnock among those lining up for United.
Former Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce and former Sheffield Wednesday manager Peter Shreeves gave evidence on behalf of the Hammers.
Confirming the decision yesterday, Blades chairman McCabe said: "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."
Significantly, there is now no 'legal' route back to the Premier League for the Blades, according to sports lawyer Stephen Taylor-Heath of Fox Hayes in Leeds.
"The club are expecting the Premier League to look at things again. However, they will know deep down that it is almost certain that reinstatement won't happen. Sheffield United took the matter to the High Court and took leave to appeal and the High Court again said the decision must stand. At that stage Sheffield United accepted they would not achieve reinstatement."
Yesterday's decision may yet open a legal can of worms, however, in relation to individual claims from players or claims from other clubs who lost out on prize money by virtue of finishing below West Ham in the table.
The Hammers, possibly in anticipation of yesterday's news, have been selling players to raise money in recent months although the collapse of their main sponsors, XL Holidays, dealt another major financial blow to the club.
Manager Alan Curbishley, who also gave evidence at the arbitration hearing, quit his post after the departure of players including Anton Ferdinand, George McCartney and Bobby Zamora. One option now open to the Hammers could be to offer players to the Blades as a way of settling the damages.
Click on the links below for more Blades news:
Warnock calls for Scudamore to quit.
Blackwell will have millions to spend.
Hammer horror show cast shadow over football.
Tevez timeline.
Listen to our experts give their verdict on the Blades podcast.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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