West Ham United Football Club News

• Nickname:Hammers
• Founded:1895
• Manager:Sam Allardyce

• Ground:Upton Park
• Capacity:35,595

Tevez saga hurt Eggert

07 Aug 2007 - 10:09:39

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West Ham United chairman Eggert Magnusson is worried that the controversy surrounding the Carlos Tevez affair has made his club one of the most unpopular in the Premier League.

Magnusson believes the Hammers have been misrepresented during the saga and is concerned that the club's previous good name has been tarnished.

West Ham were fined £5.5million for breaking the rules with regard to third-party ownership of players, but were not deducted any points, as they avoided relegation at Sheffield United's expense.

This summer has seen never-ending arguments between the club and Tevez's agent, Kia Joorabchian, over which party had the right to sell the Argentine striker to Manchester United.

Magnusson told The Guardian: "I was never concerned that the ruling would go against us. In this affair it has often been forgotten that the player was always registered with West Ham.

"There was so much [speculation] that was never correct. It does hurt me because the club has been dragged into this in a negative way by some of my colleagues.

"West Ham has been dragged down and I don't think this is correct. This hurts me most, because what a few people decide should not be a burden to the whole club.

"The other sad thing is that Tevez got caught in the middle. He's a great lad, so enthusiastic about football and success, and I would have loved to have seen him [again] in a West Ham shirt.

"I really tried to make that possible but, as a great player, he had ambitions to play in the Champions League."