Blades and Hammers agree settlement

SHEFFIELD United has reached an out-of-court settlement with West Ham United over the Carlos Tevez affair, both clubs have confirmed.

The agreement means the independent tribunal in relation to the now Manchester United player, which involved third party ownership issues and was set to start on Monday, will no longer proceed.

In a joint statement, West Ham United’s chief executive Scott Duxbury and Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe, said: “Both clubs are pleased to annouce that a satisfactory settlement for compensation has been reached which brings the dispute between Sheffield United and West Ham United to an end.”

Mr Duxbury said it was the right time “to draw a line under this whole episode”.

“This now allows us to concentrate on our immediate ambitions, which include a strong finish to the Premier League and possible European qualification, without any impact on our long-term project,” he said.

“We wish Sheffield United well in their bid to secure promotion from the Championship.”

Mr McCabe said the Blades were “happy and satisfied” with the settlement, the figure of which has not been disclosed but is thought to be around £15m to be payable by West Ham to the Sheffield club.

“We are two clubs with a fantastic footballing history who now want to move on and focus on the business of playing football – hopefully for us against the Hammers in the Premier League next season.

“We look forward to a positive ongoing relationship with West Ham at all levels.”

Sheffield United had claimed that Tevez should not have been allowed to play for West Ham in the run-in to the end of the 2006-2007 season which saw the Hammers escape relegation but the Blades drop to the Championship.