Former Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock has welcomed an independent arbitration panel's verdict in finding against West Ham in the Carlos Tevez affair as "a matter for justice".
But Crystal Palace boss Warnock, who later left Bramall Lane after the club were relegated as the Argentina striker fired the Hammers to safety, believes the money is a poor substitute for the future his side could have enjoyed in the Premier League.
Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe has claimed victory after a 16-month battle to right the perceived injustice of going down in place of a side who were fined a record £5.5million, but not deducted any points, for playing Tevez and Javier Mascherano in breach of league rules on third-party ownership.
The panel are yet to determine the size of the payout but although a figure of up to £30million has been suggested, Warnock believes something even more valuable was lost at the end of the 2006-07 season.
"It's a matter for justice and I think everyone in the country knows this is the right verdict," he told Sky Sports News.
"They have only claimed for one season (in lost revenues) and what they would have missed out on on the field and off the field.
"That's what it comes to in today's game. It's not an awful lot at the top level...it's one good player.
"This justifies what Kevin McCabe has said all along: that we were hard done by, that it wasn't done legally and we were fighting for our rights.
"It's the principle of the whole thing. We were appalled by the original verdict."
Reflecting on the effect relegation to the Coca-Cola Championship had on the Blades, he added: "It was scandalous. It changed one or two lives and it shouldn't have happened. This verdict puts your faith back into the justice system."
"The club itself is geared up for the top level and it knocked us back no end.
"I think we would be doing very well (in the Premier League). It (relegation) is on my CV, which it shouldn't be."
Announcing the arbitration panel's findings, McCabe said: "I can confirm that both clubs have been notified of the ruling.
"The arbitration panel has awarded in our favour.
"The matter is still legally in process so I do not wish to comment any further until we have completed that process."
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Comment 1 - 4 of 4
cant belive that bloke warnock c%£p manager c$&p team just deflecting the fact that it was his job to keep sheffeild in the prem and he could not do it not man enough to admit that he was at fault !! so he blames some one else twit
With top flight football detaching itself further and further from reality as each week passes, it is refreshing to see that common sense for once prevails. In such an arena as this, it is important that all abide by the rules and WHU clearly did not. It is not correct to put SUs relegation down simply to poor on the pitch performance. Morally, this is the right decision. If football becomes the free-for-all scenario such as this and to hell with the rule book, then will the last onr out of the Stadium turn out the lights please!
Yep very true but SU didn't resort to cheating to stay up! - WHU still the overall winners tho' - £30million is but a drop in the prem ocean...
Martin Samuel put that in your pipe...
It's all sour grapes as far as i'm concerned. The reason Sheffield Utd went down is because they could not win there
remaining matches period. You all have to remember west ham were way off pace at the bottom at one point and closed the gap because they won their games. Don't use the Tevez mascharano affair as excuses because the
reality was that Sheff utd could not win their games to stay up.
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