Boro chief unhappy with ruling
10 May 2007 - 08:58:59
Middlesbrough chief executive Keith Lamb has launched an attack on the Premier League and admits he will be "smiling on Sunday if West Ham are relegated" following the decision not to dock the Hammers points over the fielding of ineligible players.
Lamb was in office at Boro when they were effectively relegated from the Premiership after being docked three points during the 1996/97 campaign for failing to fulfill a fixture at Blackburn Rovers.
Middlesbrough argued they couldn't field a team after a flu virus had decimated their squad, but league authorities rejected the claim and issued a points penalty.
And speaking at a fans' forum, the Boro chief executive revealed his unhappiness at the Premier League failure to dock West Ham points despite being found guilty of breaching rules regarding the signings of Argentinian duo Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.
"We are not seeking legal advice, but I have let the Premier League know we are very disappointed," said Lamb.
"I consider what happened to us to be a far more trivial and genuine set of circumstances.
"I have made our views known to the Premier League as to how lenient we feel West Ham's penalty was.
"Why it has taken from January to April to investigate and then judge on it, I don't know. I think it's been dealt with in a very poor way by the Premier League.
"From a personal view, I'll be smiling on Sunday if West Ham are relegated."