There’s no love lost between West Ham and Sheffield United over the infamous Carlos Tevez saga and now there’s been a new claim 17 years on.
Nearly two decades have passed since the Carlos Tevez affair which spawned one of English football’s more recent rivalries between West Ham and Sheffield United.
The memory of Hammers favourite Tevez and the court cases that saw West Ham ordered to pay out £35million in compensation to Sheffield United – as well as being hit with an additional £5.5m Premier League fine remains – as inflammatory as it is unprecedented.
Nothing like it had happened before. Nothing like it has happened since.
Plenty of water has passed under the bridge since. The Blades have been down to League One and back up to the Premier League twice.
Sheffield United now reside in the Championship following relegation last season.
Ex Blades chief makes astonishing new West Ham claim
Time has moved on but the man who was in charge of Sheffield United at the time is not letting West Ham off the hook.
There is huge focus on the Premier League over the punishments handed out to the likes of Everton and Forest and perceived inaction against clubs like Man City and Chelsea, who are facing charges.
Investigations are ongoing against both of the latter and all eyes are on the results.
Fans have long accused the Premier League of being biased towards so-called bigger clubs.
So the last thing league bosses need is another inflammatory accusation levelled at them.
But an ex Sheffield United chief has made an utterly astonishing new West Ham claim and the Premier League must respond.
Premier League must respond over West Ham accusations
Now Kevin McCabe, who was Blades chairman at the time of the Tevez saga, has claimed he knows the real reason West Ham were not punished with a points deduction.
McCabe claims the Premier League did not impose a points sanction because West Ham were so far adrift they thought they would be relegated anyway.
As fans of West Ham – and Sheffield United – know only too well, the Hammers went on to pull off the Great Escape with Tevez inspiring them to safety.
Now McCabe is dragging up ancient history, saying West Ham cheated and claiming the Premier League let them off the hook lightly.
“We recognised West Ham were never going to be deducted points,” McCabe told The Sun as he plugged his new book ‘Mucky Boots’.
“All the way through the process it was the gossip of all club chairmen. Everyone knew West Ham had cheated and had admitted cheating.
“But at no stage did the Premier League in discussions with the tribunal ever indicate points should be deducted — which was the norm.
‘League chiefs didn’t bank on West Ham’s Great Escape’
“They took a chance that West Ham were going to be relegated anyway.
“They were seven points behind the likes of Sheffield United with four or five games to go and still had to play Manchester United at Old Trafford.”
These kind of claims simply must be addressed by the Premier League.
Or it only serves to besmirch West Ham’s name and that of the English top flight itself.
A penny for the thoughts of Everton and Forest fans reading those comments from McCabe.
West Ham were under different ownership then and the Premier League under different leadership.
But for the good of the game, when people make these kind of accusations they cast a bigger shadow of what has long been regarded as the best league in the world.
