West Ham Fined £5.5m By Premier League for Acting Improperly - But They Escape Points Deduction

West Ham have been fined a record £5.5m after pleading guilty to breaching Premier League transfer rules when signing Carlos Tevez and Javier
Mascherano. But, perhaps crucially for the Hammers' Premiership survival prospects, they have escaped a points deduction.

The decision, made by an independent Premier League commission in London today, concerned a breach of Premier League rules U.18 and B.13 and related to the registration of Tevez and Mascherano last August.

The players, both Argentina internationals, were owned by a third party, Media Sports Investment, when they signed from Brazilian club Corinthians - something explicitly against Premier League rules. West Ham also failed to provide the Premier League with all the documentation relating to the transfer, another breach of the rules.

The hearing report also warned West Ham that "the registration of Tevez can be terminated". However, the Premier League has yet to confirm whether this will happen - something that would mean Tevez would mean West Ham's remaining games of the season.

A statement from West Ham said the club had received a fair hearing. "The club regrets the fact that they fell foul of the FA Premier League regulations, but the new owners of the club now want to focus on matters on the pitch and remaining in the Premiership," it read. "The threat of a points deduction has now been removed and the club's fate remains in its own hands.

"The club believes that promotion and relegation issues should be decided on the pitch and we are pleased that the commission agree with that view. The club will reflect on the financial penalty that has been imposed and will take advice before commenting on the possibility of an appeal or any further steps that might be taken."