Pre-Season 21st July 2007 Kick-off: 18:00
Venue: Lebring
West Ham United were unfortunate to slip to a 2-0 defeat against Lazio in
their third pre-season friendly of the summer on Saturday evening. In a
tough encounter in the small Austrian village of Lebring, near Graz, goals
either side of the break earned victory for the Italians, who are slightly
ahead of Hammers in their pre-season preparations. Despite facing sharp
opponents, though, Alan Curbishley's men were unlucky to end up on the
losing side, after Craig Bellamy missed a 68th minute penalty and Carlton
Cole had two efforts superbly saved by veteran Lazio goalkeeper Ballotta.
Striker Dean Ashton came comfortably through another 45 minutes, while
Bellamy played the full 90. Mark Noble and Bobby Zamora were rested after
picking up slight knocks in training.
Despite the result, Alan Curbishley will have been satisfied by another
strenuous work-out and will look back on their week in Austria as a valuable
fitness exercise ahead of the new Premier League campaign.
West Ham United: Green; Spector (Collins 45), Davenport (Upson 45),
Ferdinand (Dailly 60), McCartney (Gabbidon 45); Bowyer (Collison 65),
Mullins (Boa Morte 45), Parker, Etherington (Reid 70); Ashton (Cole 45),
Bellamy.
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Date set for Fifa Tevez meeting - BBC
Fifa and Football Association legal representatives will meet on Monday to
discuss the Carlos Tevez saga. Manchester United and West Ham have asked
world football's governing body to settle a dispute over who owns the
Argentine striker. Fifa spokesman Andreas Herren said: "My understanding is
that the meeting will be with members of the FA. "My understanding is that a
senior lawyer from the FA will come to Zurich to meet our senior legal
people." Manchester United are expecting the Tevez affair to be resolved
before the transfer window closes on 31 August. United chief executive David
Gill said: "Fifa and the necessary bodies will try to make sure that the
player can play, whether it's for United or West Ham. "I think they will do
everything they can to make sure the decision is made within the appropriate
period."
Tevez is registered as a West Ham player, but businessman Kia Joorabchian
claims he owns the striker's economic rights and is therefore entitled to
any transfer fee. However, the Hammers ripped up an agreement they had with
Joorabchian - which broke league rules - and they now claim any deal with
United can only go ahead with their say-so. The Premier League is also
insisting that any fee must go to West Ham. Gill added: "The issue is
effectively who owns the economic rights to the player, who owns the
registration of that player, and therefore what happens to any monies that
we might pay. "Can he unilaterally terminate his registration? Can he move
on? That's the fundamental issue. "Theoretically, you can go from the
Dispute Resolution Chamber [at Fifa] to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"Whether both parties choose to do that, we'll have to see, but that would
be the final arbiter."
With the Tevez saga rumbling on, the British government and the Football
Association have united to press Fifa to investigate the question of
third-party ownership of players. BBC Sport has learned the government fears
the integrity of the game could be damaged by the practice. A Whitehall
source said: "We don't want third-party ownership in British football, we
want it dealt with." The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has called
for a probe at "the highest international level".
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Fergie to wait for Tevez - Sky
By Mark Buckingham - Created on 21 Jul 2007
Sir Alex Ferguson does not currently have a back-up plan, if the Carlos
Tevez deal falls through. Manchester United are trying to push forward with
a deal to sign Tevez from West Ham United before the close of the transfer
window. The matter has been referred to Fifa, with Football Association
officials, and possibly Premier League representatives, due to meet world
football's governing body on Monday to discuss the transfer. United boss
Ferguson remains hopeful that the champions can conclude a deal for the
Argentine striker before 31st August. But Ferguson acknowledges that, should
the move falter, he will have to revise his plans as he does not have a
fall-back. "I am confident Carlos Tevez will sign and I am happy to wait
until clearance comes along," said Ferguson. "If it became obvious the
situation wasn't going to turn our way we would have to reconsider our
plans. "But I have nothing as a fall-back position at this moment in time."
Red Devils chief executive David Gill added: "It is a complicated matter
being worked on by all the parties involved and we hope for a positive
resolution in the course of the next few weeks. "We are in discussions with
the FA and Fifa on the matter. It is moving to the appropriate body."
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Allardyce plans Dyer talks - Sky
By Mark Buckingham - Created on 21 Jul 2007
Sam Allardyce plans talks with Kieron Dyer to discuss whether the Newcastle
United midfielder has been affected by rumours of a move to West Ham United.
Reports have suggested The Hammers are looking to take the England
midfielder to Upton Park, although no bid has been lodged to date. Allardyce
admits he would be reluctant to lose Dyer, who finally appears to have
overcome his long-standing injury troubles. But the Newcastle manager
concedes he needs to discuss the situation with the 28-year-old to determine
if Dyer wants to join West Ham. "If we are going to hear from West Ham, I
would assume it's going to be this weekend," said Allardyce. "If we get a
bid we will take it from there, but I'm not keen to lose Kieron. "Kieron is
a player who is an integral part of my plans, but, like everything else, I
will need to have a chat with him. "I think Kieron has had his unhappy days
here, which he will never forget and for which he will never forgive some
people. "When you're somewhere for nine years, you have your good times and
your bad times, and you remember the bad times as much as you remember the
good. "I don't know if he is unhappy here or whether the speculation about
West Ham has had any effect. "I will have a talk with him next week and see
where we stand. It would take a very sizeable offer to even tempt me to let
him go."
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Ashton 'hungrier' than ever
By James Dall - Created on 20 Jul 2007
Dean Ashton has revealed he is straining at the leash for next season to get
underway and has warned Premier League defences that he will be the fittest
and strongest he has ever been. Ashton missed the whole of last season after
a cruel ankle break in an England training session and after such a long
spell on the side-lines the powerful striker feels as if he is a "forgotten
man" but has vowed to remind fans of his quality. Ashton said: "You can't
describe how difficult it has been - it was horrible. Playing for England
was everything you have dreamed of and the next minute it has gone. "I
don't think there will be a hungrier player in the Premier League this
season than me. "I've got to prove myself again and prove that I'm not a
forgotten man and that I'm the same player I was. I want to show people how
well I have come back form this injury. "I can definitely say that by the
start of the season I will easily be the fittest I have ever been and the
strongest I have ever been and I am excited by how I will feel. "I think my
football won't be a problem. My brain hasn't got tired or hurt - that is
going to be the same."
The cultured forward also has England's next Euro 2008 qualifier in his
sights, saying: "I want to get back involved with England as soon as I can.
"There are plenty of strikers who will be fit and raring to go but if I am
in Steve McClaren's plans then brilliant."
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FA set to lobby Fifa
By Graeme Bailey - Created on 20 Jul 2007
The Football Association has called on Fifa to look at the issue of
third-party ownership. The Carlos Tevez affair, which looks like being
adjudicated by Fifa next month, has highlighted the issue of third-party
ownership - which the FA do not approve of. Third-party ownership is
common-place in many leagues around the world, particularly South America
and the FA want Fifa to address the situation. The FA have met with new
sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe and they have told the government that they
intend to raise the matter with Fifa. "Our stance is that we think players
being owned by third parties makes it very difficult to regulate the game,"
said an FA spokesman. "We explained to Gerry Sutcliffe that it is something
we will be taking to Fifa at the earliest available opportunity.
"This practice is widespread in South America. If it is going to work it has
to be something FIFA leads on."
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Carlos Tevez red tape forces FA to meet Fifa
By Andrew Warshaw and Mark Kleinman, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 11:42pm BST 21/07/2007
Fifa will meet a representative of the FA tomorrow to discuss Carlos Tevez's
proposed move from West Ham to Manchester United as fears grow that any
transfer may not go ahead until January.
Speculation mounted yesterday that the move would have to wait until the
first transfer window of 2008 after it emerged that Fifa's Dispute
Resolution Chamber is not due to meet until the second week in August, just
before the season starts on Aug 11.
However, a Fifa spokesman said: "A meeting will take place on Monday. My
understanding is that it will be with members of the FA, not the Premier
League. It could be that someone from the Premier League comes along as
well. My understanding is that a senior lawyer from the FA will come to
Zurich to meet our senior legal people."
United chief executive David Gill had asked for the dispute to be given
special priority by Fifa in the knowledge that the DRC, who investigate
around 30 cases each time they convene, allow 60 days to resolve each
dispute. It has been made clear that they would not hesitate to postpone any
decision on Tevez until September, outside the transfer window, if they were
not satisfied.
advertisementOne high-ranking DRC officer had even said there was not even
any guarantee that the Tevez case would be heard in August. "Even if it is,
there are several precedents for cases being postponed and there is
absolutely no certainty it would be completed at the August meeting," he
said.
"Our next meeting would then not be until mid-September. There is huge
pressure to resolve this because it involves Manchester United, but it could
well be that the arbitrators need more time."
West Ham, who have blocked Tevez's medical at United, are convinced that
they hold Tevez's registration and that the player, who kept them in the
Premiership virtually single-handedly, is contracted to them for another
three years.
However, the player's representative, Kia Joorabchian, maintains that his
company, Media Sports Investments, still own all economic rights and that a
deal has already been struck with United.
"We have to [determine] what is the role of this company and whether there
has been a breach of contract," said the DRC member. "Only then can we
decide on any level of compensation. No one can say for certain when it will
be judged."
Another DRC member, Mick McGuire, the English board member of FIFpro, the
international body for professional players, believes Fifa could still fast
track the Tevez case. "Regulations don't give total comfort that it could be
heard by the end of the transfer window," he said. "But when English
football sneezes, everyone catches a cold, so because of the high-profile
nature of our country it could work in their favour."
Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, has admitted that the club have no
Plan B if they fail to cut through the red tape. "If things don't go our
way, then we will obviously have to reconsider our plans," he said. "But
there is no fall-back position at the present time."
Ferguson also said that he expected Gabriel Heinze to be back in training at
United in two weeks having rejected the defender's proposed move to
Liverpool for £6.8 million. Ferguson said he had not spoken to Heinze since
the final of the Copa America last weekend, since when reports have emerged
that Heinze wants to take United to court because he says he has a letter
from the club saying he could leave if an offer of more than £6 million was
received.
"He is on holiday now - like any player he needs to rest after the summer
tournament," said Ferguson. "He knows and we know that his agents are the
mechanism of what is happening. We're trying to steer our way through that
minefield because they are proving quite difficult."
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Monday meeting in Tevez saga - TeamTalk
Representatives of FIFA and the Football Association will meet on Monday to
discuss the Carlos Tevez transfer affair. And Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping
Manchester United are eventually given the green light to sign the Argentine
as he has revealed he has no back-up plan. Ferguson's efforts to lure Tevez
to Old Trafford have ground to a halt amid a deluge of legal arguments over
who owns the player's registration. The Argentina striker's advisor Kia
Joorabchian last week accused West Ham of saying one thing in private and
another in public in their stance on the Tevez ownership issue, something
the Upton Park club strenously deny. With the Premier League sticking to
their position that West Ham own the player after they tore up the
third-party agreement with Joorabchian which landed them in so much trouble,
the Tevez camp have now asked for FIFA to step in and settle the matter. And
Andreas Herren, a spokesman for the world governing body, has revealed: "A
meeting will take place on Monday. "My understanding is that it will be with
members of the FA, not the Premier League. It could be that someone from the
Premier League comes along as well. "My understanding is that a senior
lawyer from the FA will come to Zurich to meet our senior legal people."
United remain totally convinced FIFA will eventually rule in Joorabchian's
favour, an outcome which would cause the Premier League huge embarrassment.
However, the Old Trafford club also know there is a chance the verdict would
go the other way, effectively blocking their bid to sign Tevez before the
August 31 transfer deadline. Such a decision would leave Ferguson having to
decide whether to keep Alan Smith and Giuseppe Rossi or enter the transfer
market again. The Red Devils chief said last week he had already seen a bid
for an un-named forward rejected earlier in the summer. And he currently
does not have an alternative should the Tevez move break down. "I am
confident Carlos Tevez will sign and I am happy to wait until clearance
comes along," he said.
"If it become obvious the situation wasn't going to turn our way we would
have to reconsider our plans. But I have nothing as a fall-back position at
this moment in time."
There has been a suggestion from FIFA that, as yet, no paperwork has been
received from any source with regard to the Tevez affair. With the time
factor so important given United would have to wait until January to sign
Tevez should a deal not be pushed through by the end of next month, that is
something of a surprise, especially as club lawyer Maurice Watkins remained
in Manchester rather than embarking on the club's Far East tour. However,
chief executive David Gill moved quickly to calm fears nothing was being
done. "It is a complicated matter being worked on by all the parties
involved and we hope for a positive resolution in the course of the next few
weeks," he said. "We are in discussions with the FA and FIFA on the matter.
It is moving to the appropriate body."
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United certain they will land Tevez - the Times
IT IS A case which has been threatening to get as bogged down as Jarndyce
and Jarndyce, but a pivotal day is finally at hand in the Carlos Tevez
affair. Representatives from the Premier League, the Football Association
and the world governing body, Fifa, are meeting tomorrow to determine the
means of resolving the dispute that has hit Manchester United's attempt to
sign the Argentinian. Up for discussion is a proposal to allow Tevez's
future to be decided at a fast-track hearing of the Dispute Resolution
Chamber of Fifa. If this, or an alternative way of breaking the deadlock,
cannot be agreed the businessman who owns Tevez's "economic rights", Kia
Joorabchian, last night said he would take West Ham United, who hold Tevez's
registration, to the High Court.
Either way there will be forward movement in a saga which has dragged on for
weeks. United believe they are free to sign Tevez because they have reached
a deal to do so with Joorabchian and the companies he represents, Media
Sports Investments (MSI) and Just Sports Inc (JSI). West Ham, who assured
the Premier League in March they had ended all third-party agreements with
MSI and JSI, say they have the sole right to determine Tevez's playing
future and that he will remain their player unless a significant transfer
fee is paid. David Gill claimed earlier in the week that going to Fifa for
arbitration had already been agreed, but it appears the United chief
executive was being seriously premature.
"There will be a meeting between the Premier League, the FA and Fifa on
Monday to discuss the Tevez situation," said a spokesman for the Premier
League. "One of the issues to be decided is whether to take the matter to
Fifa for them to rule on the dispute between the parties." Throwing the case
on the mercy of the world governing body would be risky for the Premier
League, who face a £50m lawsuit from Sheffield United should it be found
that Joorabchian still controls Tevez.
Lawyers for MSI and JSI say negotiations to take Tevez to Old Trafford have
progressed with "the knowledge and permission" of West Ham. Speaking in
Macau, Gill maintained an air of high confidence that Tevez would soon be a
United player "Carlos Tevez is a complicated matter," he said. "It's being
worked on by all the parties involved and we hope for a resolution to it in
the next few weeks." How could the matter be resolved? "The resolution is
that he joins Manchester United," Gill said.
Further controversies surrounded Gabriel Heinze and Ji-Sung Park. Heinze has
been told he will not be allowed a move to Liverpool. "Gaby's on holiday
after the Copa America but we expect him back in training in two weeks
time," said Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager. "I won't need
to discuss too many things with him because I think he knows that we know
that his agents are the mechanism of what's happening at the moment. We're
trying to steer a way through that minefield, because they have been quite
difficult people."
A small storm also raged around Park, who is currently recovering from a
knee injury. Ferguson maintained the South Korean would be back in action by
December or January but South Korea's national coach, Pim Verbeek, said Park
would need a longer lay-off. "From what I have heard his knee is not in a
good condition for a 26-year-old football player," said Verbeek. "To save
his career it's probably better for him to take more time to recover."
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