Blades remain bullish on tribunal

tonks1982

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Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe remains hopeful the club can overturn their relegation from the top flight.
The Blades are halfway through a two-day hearing which will decide if they should be reinstated after West Ham breached player ownership rules.

The Hammers avoided a points penalty over the signing of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano but were fined £5.5m.

"The arbitration is going well and I think the panel recognise all the points of the case," said McCabe.

The United chairman added: "It's about writing the wrongs from the first decision.

"That's really part of the arbitration proceedings and why we served the notice on the Premier League back in mid-May.

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry appeared at the arbitration tribunal on Monday.

He first drew attention to the rule breaches when Liverpool signed Mascherano from West Ham in the January transfer window.

Questioned as to whether Parry's appearance as a witness was due to Liverpool's signing of Javier Mascherano from West Ham, McCabe added: "Not particularly. Rick is an experienced football guy. He's a good witness."


Sheff Utd plc chairman Kevin McCabe

McCabe also appeared as a witness, with Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore and general secretary Mike Foster appearing for the other side.

The independent arbitration panel can order a new disciplinary hearing against West Ham or that some compensation be paid to Sheffield United.

The three-man panel's main role is to see whether the correct disciplinary procedures were followed.

Retired High Court judge Sir Philip Otton is chairing the hearing in Fleet Street, with David Pannick QC representing the Blades and leading barrister Nicholas Randall acting for the Premier League.

A verdict is expected to be delivered on Tuesday.

McCabe has always been adamant the panel will rule in favour of his club over a saga that started back in March.

In that month, West Ham were found guilty of acting improperly and withholding vital documentation over the Argentine pair's ownership but they escaped a points deduction and Tevez was allowed to continue playing.



He and Mascherano, who is now at Liverpool, were part-owned by a third party but the Hammers then ended that agreement, which satisfied the Premier League.

Tevez was one of the major factors in the club's late escape - scoring a goal on the final day of the season at Manchester United to help the Hammers stay up.

The Blades finished on the same number of points as fourth-from-bottom Wigan but were relegated on goal difference.

"I think the Premier League accept they wish the arbitration was not happening," McCabe said last week.

"But in the knowledge it is happening and it cannot be prevented, then if the decision is overturned we should be reselected to the Premier League.

"Since we really looked into the whys and the wherefores of the Tevez affair it became apparent that a wrong decision was made."

Presentations by the Blades have also been made to the European Commission.

"We expressed our concerns of the whole affair," said club spokesman Andy Pack.

"It wasn't a question of trying to enlist support or lobby, rather a chance to inform them of where we are."
 
Why cant they just accept that they werent good enough for the Premiership, after yesterdays reports on Sheff Utd breaching the rules then they have some balls to complain about others who broke them, at least West Ham were fined for it, they got nothing done to them....yet.
 
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