FIFA set to investigate West Ham's Tevez deal
ZURICH, Switzerland: FIFA will investigate the controversial transfer to West Ham United of Argentines Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, the world governing body's president Sepp Blatter said yesterday.
Blatter told a media briefing at FIFA headquarters in Zurich that his organisation would look into the case regardless of any legal challenges launched by West Ham's rival clubs.
"We are monitoring this situation very carefully and we will ourselves look at the files once it has been dealt with by the English league and the Football Association," Blatter said.
"We will look at this, and not only if we are asked. We will do it anyway."
West Ham were fined a record 5.5 million pounds ($10.88 million) last month by an independent Premier League commission which ruled that the players' contracts drawn up at their August transfer contravened league rules by giving certain rights to third-party companies.
West Ham, however, admitted the charge and escaped a points deduction that would have almost certainly condemned them to relegation.
Instead, West Ham, who had a poor season until the run-in when they won seven of their last nine games with Tevez the key figure, succeeded in escaping the drop after a dramatic final day 1-0 win away to champions Manchester United.
West Ham's success meant Sheffield United, who started the final day level on points, were relegated after a 2-1 home defeat by Wigan Athletic, who also escaped relegation.
Wigan and Sheffield United are now at the head of a group of clubs threatening to challenge the Premier League in the courts over its decision not to dock West Ham points for fielding an illegally registered player.
Although FIFA has traditionally gone through its national association members to enforce domestic sanctions, it now feels it can impose or overturn such punishments directly following a January ruling by Switzerland's federal court in favour of FIFA and against Spanish third division club Rayo Vallecano.
"The court said that FIFA and its associations have the right and power to use all foreseen sanctions in the FIFA disciplinary code, starting with a warning and ending with exclusion via relegation or the deduction of points," Blatter said.
Blatter insisted that FIFA would treat any possible investigation as a matter of urgency.
"Any decision would definitely be taken in time for next season," he said.
Mascherano left West Ham for Liverpool in January.
Doping questions
Blatter said he has also asked the Spanish authorities involved in the Operation Puerto doping investigation to formally state whether any soccer players were implicated in the case.
"We know that cycling is a part of this investigation but we want to know who else is involved," said Blatter, who attended a recent meeting on the issue in his role as a member of the International Olympic Committee.
"We want the case to be re-opened even if there is the risk that it could concern football players. We have been told that this may in fact not be the case but if so then we have asked that we have it confirmed in writing."
Agencies
(China Daily 05/16/2007 page24)
