Sheffield United should discover on Tuesday whether their fight
to avoid relegation from the Premier League has been
successful.
A three-man arbitration panel will finish hearing a challenge
brought by the Blades against the Premier League.
Sheffield United plc chairman Kevin McCabe said after giving
evidence to the panel: 'I think the panel recognise all the points
of the case.
'It's about righting 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.'
The Blades want the panel to order a fresh disciplinary hearing
against West Ham over the Carlos Tevez affair.
The Blades are claiming that West Ham should have been docked
points by an independent commission for including third-party
agreements when they signed Tevez and Javier Mascherano last
August, contrary to Premier League rules.
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
arbitration tribunal hearing, which is expected to conclude today,
alongside David Pannick QC representing the Blades and leading
barrister Nicholas Randall.
A statement released on behalf of the panel read: 'Sheffield United
are asking the arbitral panel to determine two matters.
'The first is whether the decision by the independent disciplinary
commission on April 27 to fine West Ham, rather than dock points,
was legally flawed such as to require the issue to be determined
afresh by a disciplinary commission at some point in the
future.
'The second is whether the Premier League acted unlawfully by not
de-registering Tevez. Fulham are seeking similar relief.
'The arbitral panel have no power to decide what the penalty to be
imposed upon West Ham should be.'
