A final decision to uphold Sheffield United’s relegation from the Premier League was made yesterday. An arbitration panel decided that the Premier League was correct to not dock West Ham points over the registration of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. The panel stated: “The tribunal had much sympathy for Sheffield United’s grievances. However, the tribunal had to apply the principles of judicial review and determine whether the decision was irrational or perverse. This is a very strict test and is very difficult to satisfy. It concluded that it was impossible for this tribunal to find that the decision was irrational or perverse.”
Whether you agree with them or not, you can hardly claim that Sheffield United ran their campaign with dignity. But did the panel make the correct decision?