West Ham have slammed Sheffield United's intention to sue them
for the cost of relegation as "desperate".
The Blades recently failed in their High Court bid to force a
new Premier League action against West Ham over the Carlos Tevez
affair.
However, they have now decided on a new course of action which
they hope will lead to the award of considerable damages. They have
estimated the cost of their relegation at between
�30million and
�50million.
The Blades are suing over a breach of contract and claim to have
evidence which proves West Ham "misled" the original independent
panel by failing to disclose vital information relating to their
arrangement with Tevez's adviser Kia Joorabchian.
But the Hammers issued a statement which read: "We are extremely
disappointed that Sheffield United have seen fit to embark on this
latest desperate action.
"Not only does Sheffield United's claim lack legal merit, but it
is also based on their incorrect belief that West Ham withheld an
agreement from the Premier League and the April disciplinary
commission.
"In fact, long before the disciplinary hearing, West Ham United
made the Premier League fully aware of the existence and status of
the agreement in question.
Earlier the Blades had themselves issued a statement which read:
"Sheffield United announce that we are to issue proceedings against
West Ham United in connection with the 'Tevez Affair'.
"Sheffield United will claim substantial damages for breaches
of contract by West Ham.
"Sheffield United's basis for the claim is that West Ham acted
dishonestly in obtaining the registration of Carlos Tevez and
Javier Mascherano, in that they failed to reveal that those players
were owned by a third party.
"The Premier League would not have registered those players
with West Ham had they known the true position.
"The players, particularly Tevez, played a key role in West
Ham's season, giving West Ham an unfair advantage at the expense of
the other Premiership teams - including Sheffield United - all of
which had played by the rules.
"Sheffield United are confident that sufficient remedies exist
in law to ensure the Tevez affair cannot simply be brushed under
the carpet."
The Blades have put the cost of relegation at between
�30million and
�50million.
West Ham were fined
�5.5million by the
Premier League over the Tevez affair in April.
Sheffield United believe they should have been docked points for
such a serious breach of rules but failed in their attempts to have
the original punishment changed or the hearing reconvened.
The Blades have been warned by sports litigation expert Peter
Coyle that they are on a "hiding to nothing".
He said: "Proving West Ham have breached their duty of good
faith is easy enough because they have admitted to breaking the
rules, but to prove that has been the main cause of their
(Sheffield United's) relegation is incredibly difficult to do.
"Sheffield United didn't beat Wigan on the last game of the
season. That to me is a bigger reason for their relegation than
Tevez, West Ham or anything else.
"It is difficult to advise people to drop anything worth
�50million but legally I
would be struggling to find a justification to say to Sheffield
United 'let's keep banging on'."