Sports

West Ham 'could have gone bust' over Carlos Tevez affair


West Ham might have gone bust because of the Carlos Tevez affair, claims former Sheffield United supremo Kevin McCabe.

The sides meet on Saturday for the first time since West Ham were ordered to pay compensation to United for breaking the rules on third-party ownership by signing Tevez.

Tevez’s goals kept West Ham up in 2007 as the Blades were relegated on the final day, but McCabe was still generous when the clubs negotiated their compensation figure.

The Hammers’ then Icelandic owners were in deep financial trouble because of the collapse of their country’s banking system and he feared they might go under.

Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano at West Ham
Tevez and Javier Mascherano signed for West Ham in 2006

McCabe settled on £20million to help safeguard West Ham’s future because he sees them as a working-class club like the Blades.

“We set the amount,” said the former Blades’ owner and chairman. “We sorted it out rather than letting the panel decide. I wanted to do that because even though we’d been wronged, I really did feel it was the right thing to do.

“They were really challenging moments, peculiar times. Iceland’s monetary system had effectively gone and if we’d have really pushed, there was a feeling the same thing might happen to West Ham as well.

“So we came to an arrangement in good spirit. We didn’t let the arbitration panel decide. We did it for the right reasons.

“I had no interest in seeing a club potentially go out of business. I don’t think that’s what football should be about.

“Yes, we felt we were entitled to something because we’d suffered and didn’t agree with how things had been handled. But people should always remember how important football clubs are to the communities they represent.

Football agent Kia Joorabchian was at the centre of the controversial signings

Read More

Mirror Football’s Top Stories

“I always enjoyed going to West Ham. I felt they were like the Sheffield United of London, a working-class club with no airs or graces, who were a huge part of the community in their area and, like us, had a tradition for producing players.”

McCabe, who lost his struggle for control of United with HRH Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud last month, claims the bitter controversy is history and says he bears no ill will towards the Hammers.

“We’re playing each other in a new stadium,” he said. “I know David Gold and David Sullivan, who own West Ham now, personally from their days at Birmingham and I respect them.

“Any differences between the two clubs are now a thing of the past.”





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.