The Times
Gabriele Marcotti
Hey, here's an idea. Sheffield United are getting – depending who you
believe – between £15 million and £25 million in compensation from West Ham
because the Hammers supposedly fielded an ineligible player (Carlos Tevez)
and his presence on the pitch caused the Blades to be relegated.
Fine. So why don't a bunch of clubs take legal action against Derby County?
Back in 1999-2000, the Rams featured a striker named Esteban Fuertes. He
only played in eight Premier League games (scoring one goal), but surely his
presence somehow impacted the league, no? And surely the fact that he was
working here thanks to a dodgy passport (Derby kicked him out when the truth
emerged six months after his arrival) makes him an ineligible player, right?
Derby finished sixteenth that year, five points clear of relegation.
But they did tally eleven points in the eight games in which Fuertes played,
surely he was responsible for some of them? Heck, if Fuertes hadn't been
around maybe Wimbledon, who finished eighteenth, wouldn't have been
relegated. And maybe Roman Abramovich would have bought them instead of
Chelsea. Or, if that sounds far-fetched, maybe they would have had enough
cash in the bank to avoid turning into MK Dons.
I'm not joking. Fuertes is the obvious case, but it's well known he wasn't
the only one getting around EU employment law thanks to a dubious passport.
There are at least half a dozen cases; you can do your own research on them,
the web is a great thing.
As everyone supposedly jumps on the lawsuit bandwagon to make a few bob out
of West Ham, it might be wise to ask why the East London club are paying for
their supposed sins, but so many others got away scot free.
It may be even wiser to leave the lawyers to crawl back under their rocks
and leave civil justice to deal with non-sporting issues.
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