By Peter ORourke - Created on 13 Jul 2007
Skysports.com understands Schalke have tabled a bid for Fenerbahce
midfielder Stephen Appiah. Appiah is keen to leave the Turkish giants and
was reportedly the subject of interest from West Ham United amongst others.
Celtic, Valencia and Juventus have also been linked with the Ghana captain
but it appears Schalke have stolen a march on their rivals. Schalke have
been interested in Appiah in the past but were thought to be out of the race
due to his high wage demands. However, the Bundesliga club have launched a
fresh bid to sign the 26-year-old and will offer him UEFA Champions League
football.
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Joorabchian claims innocence - Sky
By Andrew Scurr - Created on 13 Jul 2007
Kia Joorabchian has denied "any wrongdoing whatsoever" over allegations of
money-laundering. Joorabchian has reportedly been issued with an arrest
warrant in Brazil as part of an investigation at Corinthians, which Media
Sports Investment, Joorabchian's company, is a major investor in. However,
Joorabchian, who represents Manchester United target Carlos Tevez, says his
financial dealings are all aboveboard. "The investigation in Brazil has been
rumbling on for some considerable time and apparently involves numerous
individuals including the president, club officials and partners of
Corinthians Football Club," Joorabchian said in a statement. "I deny any
wrongdoing whatsoever. I have co-operated fully with the authorities in
Brazil and have previously offered to speak to them directly, an offer that
they have not taken up. "The investigation has been provoked by the desire
of a small group of individuals in Brazil to gain control over Corinthians
Football Club. All payments made to Corinthians by MSI were cleared through
and approved by the Brazilian Central Bank. "My Brazilian lawyers are
instructed urgently to prevent me being personally involved any longer in
this dispute. I am advised, and believe this matter will be resolved very
shortly."
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Blades' High Court bid rejected - Sky
By Graeme Bailey - Created on 13 Jul 2007
Sheffield United have been refused leave to appeal over the Carlos Tevez
affair. The Blades took their case to the High Court, following an
independent arbitration's panel's decision not to over-turn the Premier
League's decision to only fine West Ham over the Tevez-Javier Mascherano
transfer wrangle.
United felt West Ham should have been deducted points, rather than the
£5.5million fine they received, and were looking to be reinstated in the
Premier League. However, Justice Andrew Smith ruled against United and also
denied their request to take the case further to the Court of Appeal.
Speaking outside the courts, the club's solicitor Paul Stothard (pictured)
insisted the fight may not be over - but first issued a statement on behalf
of the club. "Sheffield United have not been granted leave to appeal aspects
of the arbitration panel's decision earlier this month. "This application
was made on very limited grounds and it has also been denied on very limited
grounds. "Sheffield United are not precluded from taking further action
whether against the Premier League or West Ham. "We will consider our
position with our professional advisors and make further statements in due
course."
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Stothard added: "We can't go to the Court of
Appeal on this particular issue and that's all that we've been precluded
from doing. Obviously now we have to go away and think about what we can do.
"As Kevin (McCabe, United chairman) said recently we've got a long agenda of
things that we can do with regards to this. We're still on the first page
and I think you can be fairly confident that the issue won't rest there."
On possible reinstatement, he said: "Time's been ticking since the last game
of the season. We have to go away, look at what's been said today and we
have to make our minds up. We will issue a further statement on that one. "I
think you've always got an uphill battle when you're trying to overturn a
decision which has already been made. We've seen that, we've seen in the
first instance with the arbitral tribunal that they disagreed with that
first decision, the decision not to dock points from West Ham, but even that
wasn't enough legally. "The legal tests are very stringent, they are very
hard. Many aspects of this case have been completely unprecedented and
certainly Sheffield United cannot be criticised for trying these. "As Kevin
said it shows Sheffield United is not a club to be pushed around, they may
be a small club but it's a club with good advisors, a professional approach,
with good long-term plans and if it won't be playing in the Premier League
next season it will certainly be looking to gain promotion and put forward
its business plan for the next few years which is to establish itself as a
Premier League force."
He also admitted that the club would at the very least look to gain
compensation."Certainly if we cannot get reinstated then compensation would
be top of the agenda because obviously there are very significant
consequences financially for being relegated from the Premier League
wrongfully as we believe we have been," he said.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carlos Tevez's agent pursued by Interpol - Telegraph
By John Ley
Last Updated: 1:34am BST 14/07/2007
English football may be richer than ever, but it suffered another dark day
yesterday.
Sheffield United promised to fight on after failing in their High Court
attempt to force new Premier League disciplinary action against West Ham
over the Carlos Tevez affair. And Tevez's representative, the Anglo-Iranian
businessman Kia Joorabchian, was put under the order of overseas arrest by a
Brazilian judge over allegations of money-laundering.
The warrant was said to relate to an investigation at Brazilian club
Corinthians, in which Joorabchian's company, MSI, is a major investor.
Brazilian judge Fausto Martin de Sanctis ordered the overseas arrest of
Joorabchian, Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky and Nojan Bedroud, an MSI
director. MSI have denied the allegations.
Interpol have been called in to carry out the arrests while De Sanctis
ordered the club's assets to be frozen. He will now investigate
international transfers conducted by the club. Corinthians have also denied
the charges and said that they obeyed all laws. Joorabchian denied "any
wrongdoing whatsoever".
He added: "I have co-operated fully with the authorities in Brazil and have
previously offered to speak to them directly, an offer that they have not
taken up. The investigation has been provoked by the desire of a small group
of individuals in Brazil to gain control over Corinthians Football Club.
"All payments made to Corinthians by MSI were cleared through and approved
by the Brazilian Central Bank. My Brazilian lawyers are instructed urgently
to prevent me being personally involved any longer in this dispute. I
believe this matter will be resolved very shortly."
Berezovsky, who is living in exile in London, also denied any involvement,
saying in a statement: "At this time neither I nor my lawyers have had any
contact with the Brazilian authorities with regard to the allegations that
an arrest warrant has been issued against me.
"I have no doubt that the Brazilian story is an extension of the Kremlin's
politicised campaign against me. I am not involved in money-laundering, nor
have I been involved in any dealings connected to Carlos Tevez. I am an
Arsenal fan."
While this sorry saga continued in Sao Paolo, following a private court
hearing in the most bitter legal episode in football's recent history,
Sheffield United were denied permission to appeal a Premier League
arbitration panel's decision to dismiss their bid for fresh action in the
Tevez affair.
Justice Andrew Smith said: "I refuse leave to appeal. This does not amount,
however, to a general endorsement of this matter, or indeed the outcome. The
conditions for award of appeal are not met."
The club's solicitor, Paul Stothard, said: "Sheffield United have not been
granted leave to appeal aspects of the arbitration tribunal's decision
earlier this month. This application was made on very limited grounds and it
has also been denied on very limited grounds.
"Sheffield United are not precluded from taking further action, whether
against the Premier League or West Ham. We will consider our position with
our professional advisers and make further statements in due course."
Stothard added: "We can't go to the Court of Appeal on this particular
issue. We have to go away and think about what we can do. We've got a long
agenda of things that we can do. We're still on the first page and I think
you can be fairly confident the issue won't rest there."
In terms of reinstatement, Sheffield United's hopes of returning to the
Premiership seem less likely. Stothard added: "Certainly if we cannot get
reinstated then compensation would be top of the agenda because there are
significant consequences financially for being relegated from the Premier
League wrongfully, as we believe we have been.
"Sheffield United is not a club to be pushed around, maybe a small club but
a club with good advisers, a professional approach and good, long-term
plans."
United are bitter because they feel that Tevez's involvement with West Ham
in the closing games of last season was crucial to the London club's
survival. Tevez's initial contract with West Ham breached Premier League
rules on ownership as it contained references to third parties, including
MSI.
The club were later fined £5.5 million for the infringement, only for
Sheffield United to insist that West Ham should have had points docked,
which could have relegated them instead of the Sheffield club.
Of the court's decision, a Premier League spokesman said: "The only comment
we have to make is that we welcome the decision of the High Court."
Of claims that Tevez could be a Manchester United player as soon as next
week, with a high-profile unveiling on Thursday, the spokesman added: "The
only way Carlos Tevez can leave West Ham United is if a deal for his
transfer is struck directly with the club."
West Ham feel the decision could signal Tevez's transfer. A spokesman said:
"This is the end of an important chapter in this whole affair. It gives
further legal certainty to the situation. Everybody wants to find a sensible
solution in relation to the future of Carlos Tevez. There is more optimism
in the air."
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The Summer Season - West hamTill i Die
July 13th, 2007
I was chatting to a friend on the gold course this afternoon and we reckoned
that our overall spending had been pretty minimal this summer. So I thoiught
I would indulge you all and list the 'Ins' and 'Outs' of the summer transfer
season so far…
SOLD
Yossi Benayoun £5 million
Paul Konchesky £3 million
Nigel Reo Coker £8.5 million
Tyrone Mears £1 million
Teddy Sheringham Free
Roy Carroll Free
Shaun Newton
Total £17.5 million
BOUGHT
Scott Parker £7 million
Craig Bellamy £7.5 million
Richard Wright Free
Julien Faubert £6 million
Total £20.5 million
So, as I thought, Eggie has only had to shell out £2.5 million so far. It
rather makes you wonder what he has got in mind for further pruchases,
doesn't it?
A nice £20 million striker and a top knotch left back and left winger
wouldn't go amiss.
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Billionaire Berezovsky denies Tevez link as Joorabchian faces arrest - This
Is London
13.07.07
A Brazilian federal court today asked Interpol to arrest Carlos Tevez's
agent, Kia Joorabchian, on charges of alleged money laundering. The
high-profile Iranian born businessman was at the Prime Minister's Labour
fundraiser at Wembley Stadium last night as Judge Fausto Martin de Sanctis
ordered the shock action.
The Brazilian authorities froze the bank accounts of football team
Corinthians and forwarded warrants to Interpol to carry out the overseas
arrests of Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky, Joorabchian and Nojan Bedroud.
Berezovsky is an investor in the sports management group Media Sports
Investments, which was run in Brazil by Joorabchian. In 2004, Joorabchian
signed a 10-year partnership with Corinthians wiping out debts of
£115million. Among those bought with MSI money were Tevez and Javier
Mascherano. Brazilian courts have been investigating why none of the money
involved in buying the players passed through the country amid suspicions of
money laundering. Corinthians and MSI have denied the charges and said they
obeyed all laws.
Joorabchian today said the investigation had involved numerous individuals
at Corinthinas including the president and other club officials and had been
'rumbling on for some time'. In a statement he insisted he had done 'nothing
untoward'. He said: "The investigation has been provoked by a desire of a
small group of individuals in Brazil to g ain control of Corinthians. "All
payments made to Corinthians were cleared through and approved by the
Brazilian Central Bank. "My Brazilian lawyers have been instructed urgently
to apply in Brazil for my removal from this matter and I hope it will be
resolved very quickly."
Berezovsky has denied having "any dealings connected to Tevez" or any
involvement in money-laundering. He was adamant the warrant was 'an
extension of the Kremlin's politicised campaign against him'. Joorabchian,
36, is in the middle of a wrangle over the proposed transfer of Tevez to
Manchester United, but he is confident he is on sound legal footing to push
the deal through.
He said: "The administrative issues will be settled in the next few days. We
don't see any problems. United are confident they will have him registered
next week. Carlos will come on Tuesday, have a medical on Wednesday and
hopefully we will have administrative issues sorted. Personal terms have all
been agreed." But the deal must still be approved by the Premier League. A
spokesman said: "Any deal for Tevez has to be done directly with West Ham.
They hold the registration."
United have agreed an initial loan deal for Tevez with the option of a
permanent transfer, which could be worth more than £30m. The Premier League
insist West Ham must receive most of the fee because they were allowed to
keep playing Tevez last season after assuring the league all third-party
clauses in the striker's contract had been severed.
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Hutchings homes in on Harewood - teamTAlk
Wigan are closing in on the £4million capture of West Ham striker Marlon
Harewood, with reports suggesting a deal could be struck this weekend. The
27-year-old former Nottingham Forest hitman was at the JJB on Friday for
talks and a medical, according to reports in the Wigan Evening Post. Latics
have chased Harewood for much of the summer, and looked close to signing him
earlier in the week. But negotiations over a fee with West Ham dragged on
longer than expected, raising fears the Hammers were being awkward following
Latics' stance on the Carlos Tevez saga. Birmingham were reported to have
come in with a last-minute bid, but that proved a red herring. They had
shown an interest in Harewood earlier in June, although didn't go as far as
making an offer.
Latics are keen to get the deal done before they fly to Holland on Sunday
for a five-day training camp during which they play friendlies against FC
Zwolle and Den Bosch. Latics boss Chris Hutchings wants Harewood on the
flight with the Dutch trip which marks a step up in the preparations for the
new season.
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Charlton boss wants West Ham's Mullins
tribalfooball.com - July 14, 2007
Charlton boss Alan Pardew admits he's keen to sign West Ham midfielder
Hayden Mullins. Pardew said: "I like Hayden. He was my first signing at West
Ham and there was talk of him coming earlier this summer. We will have to
see."
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Konchesky signs for Fulham
tribalfooball.com - July 13, 2007
Paul Konchesky has become new Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez's fifth signing of
the summer after joining from West Ham for around £2million. Left-back
Konchesky, who was also being tracked by Birmingham, has penned a four-year
contract at Craven Cottage. Fulham will not disclose the fee they have paid
for the 26-year-old England international but it is believed to be around
£2million. Konchesky has revealed Lawrie Sanchez's plans for the Cottagers
convinced him to leave the Hammers. The defender told Fulham's official
website: "When I knew that Fulham were interested in me, I was really
pleased. "And when I met Lawrie (Sanchez) and talked about his plans for
the future here, I was really impressed with what he had to say. "It wasn't
a difficult decision to make the switch across London. "Obviously the club
has made a few signings this window and so it's a case of us all settling
in. I'm really looking forward to it."
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Tevez move a step closer as Blades lose court appeal - Scotsman
ALEX LOWE
SHEFFIELD United lost their High Court action yesterday when they were
refused leave to appeal against the Premier League arbitration panel's
decision on the Carlos Tevez affair. The arbitration panel had upheld the
Premier League's decision to fine West Ham £5.5 million for breaking
transfer rules in the signing of Tevez and fellow Argentine Javier
Mascherano, who has since moved to Liverpool. Sheffield United, who were
relegated, wanted West Ham to be docked points and had sought to overturn
their own relegation.
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Sheffield United threaten legal action against West Ham and league
Blades refused leave to appeal Tevez decision
Yorkshire club put cost of relegation at £50m
Matt Scott
Saturday July 14, 2007
The Guardian
Sheffield United yesterday threatened to take legal action against West Ham
United and the Premier League over the Carlos Tevez affair. Their warning
came after being refused leave to appeal against a judgment by an
arbitration panel that chose not to order a fresh disciplinary hearing
against the London club. Mr Justice Andrew Smith refused United, who were
being backed by Fulham, leave to take the case to the Court of Appeal.
United had sought to persuade the judge that Sir Philip Otton, the chairman
of the arbitration panel, had made an error in law by not referring the case
back to an independent disciplinary panel. They considered that this
justified an appeal against Otton's ruling in the commercial court. Their
application failed but United - who claim relegation will cost them £50
million - have not abandoned attempts for legal recourse. The club said in a
statement: "This application was made on very limited grounds and it has
also been denied on very limited grounds.
"Sheffield United are not precluded from taking further action whether
against the Premier League or West Ham. We will consider our position with
our professional advisers and make further statements in due course." The
club's lawyer, Paul Stothard, added that, "in playing a player who had not
been properly registered [West Ham] could still be the subject of further
claims". That could constitute a compensation claim that could also extend
against the league.
Justice Smith said yesterday that his "decision does not amount to a general
endorsement of how this matter was dealt with". West Ham had originally been
ordered to pay a £5.5m fine, rather than having points deducted, over the
fielding of Tevez.
However, yesterday's rejection of the Blades' application was interpreted as
an encouraging move by both West Ham and the offshore companies that brought
Tevez to the Premiership: Media Sports Investment and Just Sports Inc. Those
parties hope that the judgment helps ease the pressure on the Premier League
and will in turn lead to it sanctioning the completion of Tevez's partly
agreed transfer to Manchester United, though the league yesterday stated
that Justice Smith's ruling changed nothing in its eyes.
West Ham know that any deal would have to gain league approval, and that
would still require the Premiership champions opening formal negotiations
with West Ham, something they have so far declined to do.
One development that clouds the issue is that Kia Joorabchian, who
represents MSI-JSI, has since Thursday been the subject of an international
arrest warrant over allegations of money laundering. Joorabchian denies any
wrongdoing, telling friends that the warrant is an attempt to bring him to
Brazil as a witness in a "politically motivated" trial surrounding
Corinthians, the Brazilian club in which MSI is a significant investor and
from which Tevez and Javier Mascherano joined West Ham.
Joorabchian is said to be particularly surprised since he claims already to
have offered to attend the trial as a witness. "I have co-operated fully
with the authorities in Brazil and have previously offered to speak to them
directly, an offer that they have not taken up," he said.
"The investigation has been provoked by the desire of a small group of
individuals in Brazil to gain control over Corinthians. All payments made to
Corinthians by MSI were cleared through and approved by the Brazilian
Central Bank."
Warring parties
West Ham United
Fined £5.5m in April for withholding documents pertaining to Tevez's
transfer to Upton Park, they chose to hang on to the Argentinian for the
final matches of last season. By retaining his registration they undertook
to rip up third-party agreements with MSI-JSI that governed the player and
to treat him in all ways as their own asset.
Premier League
Given the ultimate sanction over transfer deal when West Ham declined to
cancel Tevez's registration, allowing it to dictate to the club that they
must secure a proper fee.
MSI-Just Sports Inc
The companies Kia Joorabchian represents also claim exclusive rights over
Tevez. Terms agreed on a two-year loan to Manchester United hampered by the
league's insistence that his registration lies with West Ham. Maintain the
three-year registration tying Tevez to Upton Park is worthless since the
contract entered into with West Ham was for a single season's loan, now
expired.
Manchester United
They want Tevez but realise it might need the Court of Arbitration for Sport
to sort out the apparently intractable arguments.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers are in tight spot - but there may be a way out - the Independent
Legally West Ham have made life very difficult for themselves over Carlos
Tevez, writes Ian Felstead, but there may be a solution to their predicament
Published: 14 July 2007
The key stumbling block in the protracted saga involving Carlos Tevez and
his transfer from West Ham United to Manchester United is the apparent
insistence by Premier League that the bulk of the proceeds of the transfer
remain with West Ham and not be passed on to the businessman, Kia
Joorabchian, who is said to own the "economic rights" in Tevez.
In some ways this is surprising, since the passing of proceeds of a transfer
to a third party - or even an agreement to this effect - in itself is
unlikely to be contrary to the rules of the Premier League.
At the centre of the problems concerning the transfer of Tevez is Rule U18
of the Premier League, which states that no club may enter into a contract
which enables any third party "to acquire the ability materially to
influence its policies or the performance of its teams".
West Ham have long accepted that there was an agreement between them, Tevez
and Joorabchian's companies which enabled Joorabchian to procure the
termination of Tevez's playing contract during any transfer window and to
compel West Ham and Tevez to transfer Tevez to another team. This clause was
clearly a breach of Rule U18.
When this came to light, West Ham were disciplined by the Premier League for
their breach and also for their failure to disclose the agreement when
questioned about it. The disciplinary panel fined West Ham a record £5.5m.
However, crucially the panel neither deducted any points from West Ham nor
cancelled Tevez's registration, leaving his registration as a matter for the
Premier League.
The Premier League decided it would allow Tevez's registration to stand -
and to allow him to play - if West Ham could confirm that the agreement with
Joorabchian's companies had been satisfactorily amended (so that it no
longer breached Rule U18) or was no longer in force. West Ham responded by
stating that they had unilaterally served notice of termination of the
agreement on Joorabchian.
To lawyers, this was somewhat curious. One cannot usually terminate a
contract unilaterally without good reason. It requires the other party to
agree - otherwise it remains in force. In the event, Joorabchian did not
agree and expressly reserved his position to sue on the contract. He, at
least, thought it was still in force. This would mean West Ham were still in
breach of Rule U18.
West Ham said that in any case they did not consider the agreement with
Joorabchian was enforceable - since it constituted an unlawful restraint of
trade - and assured the Premier League that they would continue to argue
that the agreement was invalid and terminated (even if sued by Joorabchian)
and that they would not perform their obligations under it.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Premier League thought that satisfactory and
allowed Tevez's registration to stand and for him to play. He then inspired
West Ham to win all three remaining games, scoring three times, including at
Old Trafford, which meant the club avoided relegation.
Now there is a transfer to United in the offing and speculation that the
proceeds of the sale will be passed on to Joorabchian. The Premier League
assumes this is not out of charity, but because West Ham are honouring a
contract with Joorabchian which is still in force. This would obviously put
in question the assurances provided by West Ham to the Premier League that
they would treat the contract as invalid, the assurances which allowed Tevez
to play those last three games.
So West Ham have dug a hole for themselves. If they sell Tevez and pass the
proceeds on to Joorabchian, the Premier League will want to know how this is
consistent with the assurances they gave and, in the absence of a
satisfactory explanation, they may institute fresh disciplinary proceedings.
This may yet result in the deduction of points.
On the other hand, if West Ham keep the proceeds Joorabchian will
undoubtedly sue them for the money, arguing that his contract with them is
still in force. If he is successful, it will mean that West Ham did have an
agreement with a third party in relation to Tevez in breach of Rule U18 and,
once again, they may face disciplinary proceedings.
But there may be a way out. While Rule U18 clearly prohibits any club
entering into a contract with a third party which allows the third party,
for example, to demand or prohibit a transfer of a player, there would
appear to be nothing in the rule which prevents clubs simply agreeing to
provide a share of the proceeds of a transfer to the third party. Indeed,
clubs often agree to pass on a proportion of a transfer fee received to a
third party, such as a player's former club in so-called "sell-on" fees.
West Ham may say that when they gave their assurance to the Premier League
they had terminated their contract with Joorabchian's companies, or that
they considered the contract invalid, it was only to the extent that the
contract was incompatible with the Premier League's rules and did not cover
the proceeds of sale (although it would have been helpful if they had
actually said this at the time). They may even say that the Premier League
is exceeding its authority by seeking to prevent the distribution of the
proceeds of sale which would, in fact, be permissible under its rules.
This may not be foolproof. The Premier League, now under considerable
pressure to take a tough line with West Ham, may say that, in any case, the
club are again in breach of their obligation of good faith under its rules.
But, in a tight corner, this may be West Ham's best option.
Ian Felstead is a sports lawyer at Olswang solicitors
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
United forced to adjust sights after appeal path is blocked - the Times
Gary Jacob
Sheffield United's fight against the Premier League may appear to have
ended, but they are considering a claim for compensation from West Ham
United. Sheffield United are exploring taking further legal action after
losing the latest battle to be reinstated in the Barclays Premier League.
The Yorkshire club were refused permission by the High Court yesterday to
appeal the decision of an arbitration panel to dismiss their claims over the
Carlos Tévez affair. The court decided that in making the decision no error
of law was made and it denied a request to take the case to the Court of
Appeal. The club have estimated that relegation will cost them £50 million.
Paul Stothard, Sheffield United's solicitor, said that there is no timescale
in which make a decision. "You can be fairly confident that the issue won't
rest here," Stothard, who works for Denton Wilde Sapte, said.
Sheffield United could argue that each club enter into an agreement to act
in good faith with other clubs and that agreement was broken when West Ham
admitted breaching the rules in the transfer of Tévez and Javier Mascherano.
They may also argue that West Ham breached their contract with the Premier
League.
"Sheffield United are not precluded from taking further action against the
Premier League or West Ham," Stothard said. "The compensation would be top
of the agenda because there are significant consequences financially for
being relegated wrongfully, as we believe we have been."
Sheffield United are hoping that Kia Joorabchian, who owns the economic
rights to Tévez, will give them unseen documents that will help their case.
Joorabchian has defended himself against a charge in Brazil of money
laundering and being part of a criminal gang for his role in the partnership
between Media Sports Investments and Corinthians, the Brazilian club.
"The investigation in Brazil has been rumbling on for some time and
apparently involves numerous individuals including the president, club
officials and partners of Corinthians," Joorabchian said. "I deny any
wrongdoing. I have cooperated fully with the authorities in Brazil and have
offered to speak to them directly, an offer that they have not taken up. My
Brazilian lawyers are instructed urgently to prevent me being involved any
longer in this dispute. I am advised and believe this matter will be
resolved very shortly."
Boris Berezovsky, the London-based Russian oligarch, also denied the charges
and of having any dealings connected to Tévez. The Brazilian authorities
claim to have instructed Interpol to arrest Joorabchian and Berezovsky.
"At this time, neither I nor my lawyers have had any contact with the
Brazilian authorities with regard to the allegations that an arrest warrant
has been issued against me," Berezovsky said. "Given the extensive comment
in the Russian media and the farce of a 'trial in absentia' in the Russian
courts, I have no doubt that the Brazilian story is an extension of the
Kremlin's politicised campaign against me. I am not involved in money
laundering, nor have I been involved in any dealings connected to Carlos
Tévez. I am an Arsenal fan."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Match Preview - Dagenham & Redbridge v West Ham United - WHO
Match Reporter - Fri Jul 13 2007
Dagenham & Redbridge v West Ham United
Saturday 14th July
Kick Off 3pm
Tony Roberts testimonial
West Ham make the short trip to the newly named The London Borough of
Barking & Dagenham stadium to kick of their pre-season games before leaving
on Sunday for Austria.
Dagenham also begin their build up to their first ever league game away to
Stockport on the 11th of August after walking away with the Conference title
last season.
The Victoria road ground was very much a strong hold for the Dagger last
season, winning 16 drawing 4 and losing just 3 of their home games and
scoring 50 goals in the process whilst just conceding 20.
Manager John Still has been busy in strengthening his side with Ross Smith,
Jon Nurse, Magnus Okuonghae, Richard Graham and Shane Huke all signing up
for the Daggers and all could be involved. One name which will familiar to
many Hammers is the Dagger captain Anwar Uddin that came through the youth
ranks at West Ham.
Alan Curbishley will hand a start to Dean Ashton who has been our for 11
months with a serious Ankle injury sustained on the eve of his proposed
England debut last August. New signing Craig Bellamy, Scott Parker, Julien
Faubert and Richard Wright could all be involved. Mark Noble and Anton
Ferdinand are unlikely to play as their season was extended by the U21
European Championships.
Lucas Neill is away with Australia at the Asian Cup and Carlo Tevez is away
at the Copa America if he's still a West Ham player.
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