On This Day in 2009: Blades and West Ham agree settlement over Carlos Tevez saga

West Ham and Sheffield United agreed an out-of-court settlement to end
their dispute over the Carlos Tevez saga on March 16 2009.

Legal action began after the Blades were relegated in 2007, with West Ham surviving in large part due to the Argentina striker’s goals.

Tevez was brought to Upton Park in a deal with compatriot Javier Mascherano but should have been ineligible as the terms of his contract broke third-party ownership rules.

The pair were found to have been partially owned by businessman Kia Joorabchian’s Media Sports Investment (MSI) company and the Hammers were fined £5.5million by the Premier League for not disclosing the terms of
their contracts.

Sheffield United initially valued their claim against the London club at £45million but the actual figure agreed was reported to be around £20million, with payments spread over a five-year period.

Both sides declared their relief at resolving the matter, with West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury and United chairman Kevin McCabe saying in a joint statement: “Both clubs are pleased to announce that a satisfactory settlement for compensation has been reached which brings the dispute between Sheffield United and West Ham United to an end.”

Tevez’s stay in England contained plenty more controversial moments, with further legal wrangling eventually resulting in the Argentinian joining Manchester United on loan in 2007.

Two years later he had made one of the most bitterly-received transfers in Premier League history and spent four seasons with Manchester City, before joining Juventus and then returning to South America.

Sheffield United dropped down to League One in 2011 before eventually returning to the Premier League in 2019.