Sheffield plan to quiz PM over points dispute
By Alistair Grant
Last Updated: 1:05am BST 13/06/2007
Sheffield United have drawn up a remarkable plot to question Prime Minister Tony Blair over the Premier League's failure to dock West Ham points in the Carlos Tevez affair.
The relegated club, who want to replace the Hammers in next season's top flight, take a delegation of 100 supporters, headed by Hollywood star Sean Bean, to meet MPs at the House of Commons today.
United have invited the 49 MPs backing an anti-West Ham Early Day Motion, with MP Clive Betts now set to table a Parliamentary question asking why the Hammers escaped with a £5.5 million fine despite fielding an ineligible player.
The move would heap pressure on the Premier League ahead of Sheffield's arbitration hearing on Monday and Tuesday, which will rule if the Premier League were wrong not to deduct points from West Ham.
MPs have until tomorrow to table a question for Blair at next Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions session. The next opportunity to question sports minister Richard Caborn would not be until June 25, in the next Department of Culture, Media and Sport session.
Sheffield Attercliffe MP Betts said: "I will discuss it with Alan Keen MP and there may well be parliamentary questions put down."
A United source added: "A number of MPs have said they'll lend support and we're exploring ways to do that."
Keen, who hosts today's Commons summit in his role as All Party Football Group chairman, criticised West Ham for lying about Tevez's status as part-owned by a third-party and also accused the Premier League of making huge errors of judgment.
"It seems West Ham made a serious breach of the rules and didn't tell the truth, which was even worse than committing the crime," he said.
"They were let off - and there's no question about it if you look at previous decisions about ineligible players. AFC Wimbledon were deducted 18 points, reduced to three on appeal.
"West Ham's £5 million fine is nothing compared to the amount of money they get by avoiding relegation.
"The Premier League seem to have made a serious mistake."
Bean will speak for the Blades today. A club source said: "Sean thinks it's a point of principle as football is about fairness - so the club that stuck to the rules shouldn't be punished for that."
The Premier League declined to comment.
