Sheffield United must wait over compensation claim

Sheffield United will have to wait until 2009 at the earliest before learning if they will receive any compensation.

West Ham's new legal representatives, led by reknowned sports lawyer Maurice Watkins successfully argued that having only been appointed in the wake of the arbitration judgment last week they had not been given sufficient time to explore the full intricacies of the case. Their plea for more time was accepted by the under-pressure Lord Griffiths, head of the arbitration panel which found in Sheffield United's favour.

An unnamed Hammers spokesman said tonight:

"We believe that the arbitration panel's ruling needs to be reviewed by a court which can help resolve the outstanding issues in this case. This is not about the issue of damages - the current ruling has major implications for English football.

"West Ham will continue to look at the available options for further action and we believe that Sheffield United should join us in a hearing at the Court of Arbitration [for Sport]."