West Ham United and the Tevez-case

[MOBIUS]

Scraping the barrel

Filed: Tuesday, 12th June 2007

By: Matthew O'Greel

Sheffield United have asked supporters of bitter rivals Sheffield Wednesday to support their so-called 'campaign for justice'.

Blades fans intend to demonstrate against their relegation from the Premiership on the streets of Sheffield tomorrow, after plans to march in London were shelved due to a lack of interest.

But with minimal interest being registered by supporters even in their home town, campaign organiser and Blades fan Richard Batho has turned to followers of Sheffield's other Championship outfit - Sheffield Wednesday - to support the (pointless) cause.

"Hopefully fans from both clubs - United and Wednesday - will turn out because this has the power to affect everyone," Batho told the Sheffield Star. "United supporters must attend in numbers but it would be great to think that everyone from the region, whether they follow us, will also lend us their backing."

Unsurprisingly perhaps the call for unity has tickled supporters of Wednesday who were, on the whole, delighted when the Blades - known by Wednesday fan as 'The Pigs' - were relegated from the Premiership thanks to a final day home defeat to Wigan.

Posters on popular Wednesday messageboard Owls Online have reacted with humour to the call for unity. One poster claimed that "there's more chance of Carlos Tevez turning up as a guest of honour in a West Ham shirt", whilst another added that he "might go - and point, laugh and sing songs such as '10 points and you fooked it up'".

Meanwhile a second smaller gathering is set to take place in London tomorrow lunchtime when Blades fan Sean Bean is set to lead a handful of selected Blades fans into Parliament for a meeting with a small group of MPs.

That group - estimates to be around 20 strong - includes the MP for Sheffield Attercliffe, Clive Betts, who was recently suspended from the House for doctoring offical papers thereby allowing his 'Brazilian rent-boy lover' to remain in the UK.

A photo-call has been set for 11.30am on Victoria Embankment (close to Westminster Pier); TV and radio are both expected to cover the event.

* Sheffield United claim that West Ham United should have been deducted three points instead of being fined £5.5m as a result of being found guily of contravening Premier League rules with regard to Carlos Tevez's contract - a figure that would have (conveniently) seen United relegated instead of the Blades.

However Sheffield's case is undermined by the fact that there is no precedent for such a punishment, and that when they beat West Ham United 3-0 in April, Carlos Tevez played on the opposing side. Coincidentally this was overlooked by the Blades until their relegation was confirmed.

[Cort Haus]

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2124230,00.html

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Cort Haus

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2124230,00.html

haha

Schadenfreude to the max.


Last West Ham fan I met nearly got thrown out of a pub in Toronto for throwing chairs when WH scored and threatening two Indian guys who supported Arsenal with physical harm because he thought that they should be supporting West Ham (something to do with where they lived).

One of the worst football nutters I ever met.

[reds4ever]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg5HsG7AN1Y

[Agathon]

Originally posted by reds4ever
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg5HsG7AN1Y

[snoopy369]

I have to say i'm a bit confused.

Is european football just another way to keep slavery going?

Why does the OP refer to a team owning several players????

Slavery

[Colonâ„¢]

Football players are bound to contract like in any other team sport. You can "purchase" a player, though this essentially comes down to paying a financial compensation in order to break that contract. Nobody is actually owned.

[snoopy369]

We have contracts in the US also, but we don't use the terminology "owned"...

We also don't "sell" contracts almost ever. I wonder if it's actually related to slavery terminology and wanting to avoid that? When we trade a player we always get a player or players back in return, and very rarely is only cash received (only for lowly players, typically).

That said, part of that is salary cap issues- in Baseball, with no meaningful cap, money is more often sent along with players (sometimes a bunch of lower players plus money for a big player; sometimes big player plus money for lower but prospect players). Many of our leagues have salary caps where you can't go over a certain salary, and trades have to be even in monetary value to keep both teams under the cap.

[Colonâ„¢]

As you said, it's just difference in terminology. Buying off contracts is standard practice in football and that's just the way it is.

[snoopy369]

I know a few chaps who would consider terminology rather important

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by reds4ever
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg5HsG7AN1Y

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by reds4ever
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg5HsG7AN1Y

hahaha that's brilliant.