THE Blade still cuts deep when Kevin McCabe recalls the Carlos Tevez Affair.
The ex-Sheffield United chairman has released a warts-and-all story of his two decades in charge at Bramall Lane.
And the 17 years since the Argentine striker kept West Ham up at the expense of his beloved Blades have not healed the wounds of a saga McCabe calls an “absolute disgrace”.
Tevez stuck the knife in with the goal in a 1-0 win at Manchester United on the final day of the 2006-07 season, his sixth goal in nine games, to keep the Hammers in the Premier League.
That was hugely controversial as West Ham had already been found guilty of breaking transfer rules in signing Tevez and fellow countryman Javier Mascherano in August 2006.
They were part-owned by agent Kia Joorabchian’s company Media Sports Investment — even though rules banned a third party from holding a stake in a Prem player.
Rather than issuing the points deduction demanded by McCabe and other relegation rivals, West Ham were fined £5.5million — before Tevez’s goal sent Sheffield United down.
McCabe told SunSport: “We recognised West Ham were never going to be deducted points.
“All the way through the process it was the gossip of all club chairmen.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
“Everyone knew West Ham had cheated and had admitted cheating.
“But at no stage did the Premier League in discussions with the tribunal ever indicate points should be deducted — which was the norm.
“They took a chance that West Ham were going to be relegated anyway.
“They were seven points behind the likes of Sheffield United with four or five games to go and still had to play Manchester United at Old Trafford.”
The Blades were later awarded £20m compensation by a tribunal — but the damage had been done.
Four seasons in the Championship and SIX even more miserable campaigns in League One followed before a return to the second tier.
And McCabe claims the affair ultimately forced him out of the club he loves after a bitter battle with co-owner Prince Abdullah in 2019.
McCabe invited the Saudi prince into Bramall Lane in 2013 — selling 50 per cent of his shares for £1 in exchange for £10m of vital player investment.
But McCabe, who had put £100m into the Blades since the mid-1990s, was stung by a contract that kicked in after the pair fell out — allowing each side to counter-offer for control.
By Martin Lipton
IT was the SALE of midfielder Javier Mascherano to Liverpool in January 2007 that opened up one of the Premier League’s biggest scandals.
Argentina ace Mascherano and fellow countryman Carlos Tevez had been unveiled by West Ham in a shock “undisclosed” double deal on deadline day five months earlier.
But when Mascherano moved to Anfield, it emerged that a large percentage of the “economic rights” to both players were actually owned by agent Kia Joorabchian through his company MSI – a blatant breach of Prem rules.
That began a Prem investigation and despite the appointment of Alan Curbishley to replace Alan Pardew, the Hammers appeared to be certain of relegation when they were charged with breaching League rules in March.
Incredibly, having been bottom after Tevez scored his first of the season in a 4-3 home defeat by Spurs, the Argentine sparked a remarkable turnaround.
Even so, when West Ham admitted to having misled the Prem over the signings – former chairman Terry Brown and his managing director Paul Aldridge were found to have hidden documents from League chiefs – and pleaded guilty, they still seemed doomed.
While relegation rivals were demanding points being docked, the commission instead fined the club a record £5.5m, with panel head Simon Bourne-Arton QC arguing that any deduction would have “condemned” them to the drop whereas such a punishment in January “would have been easier to bear”.
But West Ham then won their final three matches – making it seven wins in nine – including a final day victory at Old Trafford secured by Tevez’ winner, to send Sheffield United into the Championship alongside Charlton and Watford.
League bosses opted not to appeal against the Commission verdict, a decision unsuccessfully challenged by the Blades, who then announced their intention to sue West Ham for compensation.
In April 2009, almost two years later, the Hammers agreed to pay a £20m settlement.
Meanwhile, Tevez was coming to the end of a two year “loan” at United, where he won back to back Prem crowns, the Champions League and League Cup before a contentious move to Manchester City that summer.
A court ultimately forced McCabe to sell his 50 per cent stake to the Prince for £5m — at a point when his shareholding was worth £52m.
And yet McCabe is convinced that without the Tevez Affair, the club he supported from childhood would still be flourishing in his hands.
The 76-year-old has told his side of the story in a new book “Mucky Boots: Triumphs, Trials and Tragedies of a Football Club Owner”.
He said: “The impact of us being ‘illegally’ relegated was massive.
“It saw the break–up of the team and manager Neil Warnock leaving.
“All of the energy around Sheffield United, on and off the field, was sapped because everybody knew what an injustice it all was.
“It was such a distressing time — and later for me in what would follow later with Prince Abdullah.
“Mucky Boots? I would call it all mucky dealings.”
Mucky Boots: Triumphs, Trials and Tragedies of a Football Club Owner — by Kevin McCabe with Peter Beeby — is out now from Pitch Publishing
