Fifa Pushes Tevez Row Decision To Cas

World football governing body FIFA has refused to be drawn into the row over the
proposed transfer of West Ham striker Carlos Tevez to Manchester United, issuing
a statement recommending that the matter be ruled by the Court of Arbitration
for Sport.

The dispute over the Tevez transfer has been rumbling on for a number of
weeks with confusion over whether West Ham or businessman Kia Joorabchian owns
the player’s registration at the heart of the debate.

The Football Association and the FA Premier League had hoped FIFA would make
a decisive ruling on the matter but the governing body has refused to get
involved and passed on the jurisdiction to the CAS.

The FIFA statement read: ‘Fifa has recommended that West Ham and Carlos Tevez
seek arbitration at CAS. Under the present circumstances this was deemed to be
the best approach and in the interest of all parties. What is more, we also
believe this to be the fastest way to solve this impasse.’

While CAS is yet to comment on whether it will hear the case, it is believed
that Joorabchian is considering taking the matter to the High Court in order to
push through a deal before the transfer window closes on 31st August.

Tevez is registered as a West Ham player, but Joorabchian claims he still
owns the striker’s economic rights and is therefore entitled to the transfer
fee.

However, West Ham ripped up an agreement they had with Joorabchian – which
broke Premier League rules – and they now claim any transfer can only go ahead
with their agreement.

The FA Premier League reacted to FIFA’s decision with gratitude, stating:
‘The Premier League and FA are grateful to Fifa for considering this issue. We
are supportive of the recommendation that if all parties are in agreement the
matter should be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.’