West Ham Chief Scott Duxbury could Face Premier League Inquiry

Duxbury has been accused of providing verbal reassurances to Graham Shear, Kia Joorabchian's solicitor, suggesting that the club would honour the third party agreement which was supposedly terminated so that the Argentine could continue playing.

The tribunal believes that the league would have suspended Tevez's registration as a West Ham player had they been aware of the conversations between Duxbury and Shear.

The league are well aware of the potential ramifications of the allegation, notably that, if substantiated, West Ham could stand accused of misleading them even after being fined £5.5 million for rule breaches by an independent disciplinary commission.

The Premier League expect to receive the tribunal's findings within the next 48 hours and will decide whether to take further action against Duxbury – or indeed West Ham – once they have digested the findings.

Having facilitated the independent arbitration panel, the Football Association are largely remaining out of the latest twist in the Tevez saga, arguing that it is for Lord Griffiths, the chairman of the tribunal, to decide if and when the judgment is publicly released.

West Ham are already fighting the case on two fronts, with the club set to appeal the tribunal's ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, while also contesting the level of the £30.4 million compensation claim that Sheffield United are requesting.

They would surely also contest any further action against either themselves or Duxbury by the Premier League.

West Ham accept that they unilaterally terminated the third party agreements and that they had conversations with Joorabchian and Shear.

However, they would argue that it was always resolved to settle the matter at the end of the season – and probably out of court – which eventually happened when Joorabchian paid West Ham £2 million to release Tevez's registration and so eventually ensure his move to Manchester United.

West Ham have insisted that Duxbury’s position is not under review.

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) to Air English Premier League LIVE

Kenyans are strong supporters of English premier league

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) Television will televise the English Premiership football matches starting Monday September 15, 2008.

The first match to be aired live will be between Tottenham Hotspurs and Aston Villa at 10.pm Kenyan time.

Weekend promises to be even more interesting for football lovers with soccer giants Arsenal up against Bolton wanderers

Arsenal is currently placed third with 9 points after thrashing Blackburn Rovers 4-0.Liverpool is second with Chelsea perched at the top.

Kenyans are great lovers of English football, which many have blamed for the decline in the national premier league.

But despite that, the local joints remain full each time there is an English match.

"We are so happy to hear that. Am a strong supporter of English football, and the fact that I will now watch the matches from the comfort of my house is the best news from KBC." said one fan

Is Cristiano Ronaldo Ready to Lift United?

CRISTIANO Ronaldo is ready to mount his white charger and come to United's early season rescue.

Last season his 32 league goals were hugely influential as United outscored the Premier League and became champions.

Without him as he recovered from his summer ankle surgery nobody has scored fewer than the Reds in the opening matches.

Three goals from three games sees United needing an urgent injection of attacking power.

The Portuguese winger could be back on Wednesday against Villarreal at Old Trafford as United open the defence of the Champions League.

If the clash with the Spaniards is too early then a comeback could come against Chelsea - the Premier side he last faced - at Stamford Bridge next Sunday.

And that second instalment of the back-to-back heavyweight clashes is a perfect pick-me-up following Saturday's disappointment surrender in the 2-1 defeat at Liverpool according to captain Rio Ferdinand.

Birmingham City FC Guilty of Discriminatory Pricing

Birmingham City have been fined for discriminatory pricing against away fans last season.

A Premier League appointed Independent Commission has ruled that Birmingham City FC were guilty of discriminatory pricing against away fans at a number of matches during the 2007/08 Barclays Premier League season.

The Independent Commission ruled that the price charged to away fans was higher than that charged to home fans for a comparable standard of accommodation. The Commission ruled that Birmingham City were in breach of Premier League Rule J9, handed down a fine of £30,000 and ordered the club to pay costs.

Premier League Chief Spokesman, Dan Johnson, said: "Fans of all Premier League clubs deserve to be treated in an open and fair manner when it comes to the pricing of away tickets, and we are pleased the Independent Commission recognised the importance of this rule."

Birmingham City FC has decided not to appeal the Independent Commission's ruling.

Stuart Attwell - Youngest Match Referee at Premier League

THE Premier League’s youngest-ever referee is set for his debut in Blackburn Rovers' match with Hull City tomorrow.

Stuart Attwell, 25, from Nuneaton, will break the record previously held by Mark Clattenburg, who was 29 when he made the step up in 2004.

Attwell has only officiated for one year at Football League level but referees assessor Alan Wilkie has given his full backing to the soon-to-be top flight official.

Wilkie said: “We’ve never had this situation before, but I have assessed this young man and he has all the skills and qualities, including maturity.”

Premier League Starting Weekend Matches, Time, Stadium, Match Referees

Saturday 16th August 2008
Team		Team			Time	Stadium	Match Referees
	Arsenal	VS	West Bromwich		12:45	Emirates Stadium	Howard Webb
	Bolton Wanderers	VS	Stoke City		15:00	Reebok Stadium	Chris Foy
	Everton	VS	Blackburn Rovers		15:00	Goodison Park	Andre Marriner
	Hull City	VS	Fulham		15:00	Kingston Comms Stadium	Peter Walton
	Middlesbrough	VS	Tottenham Hotspur		15:00	The Riverside Stadium	Martin Atkinson
	West Ham United	VS	Wigan Athletic		15:00	Boleyn Ground	Steve Bennett
	Sunderland	VS	Liverpool		17:30	Stadium of Light	Alan Wiley
Sunday 17th August 2008
	Chelsea	VS	Portsmouth		13:30	Stamford Bridge	Mike Dean
	Aston Villa	VS	Manchester City		15:00	Stanford Bridge	Villa Park
	Manchester United	VS	Newcastle United		16:00	Old Trafford	Mike Riley

"Scolari is a Good Coach and can Bring Success" - Avram Grant

Avram Grant demonstrated his diplomatic skills yesterday by predicting that Luiz Felipe Scolari would surpass his own achievements by winning the Barclays Premier League for Chelsea next season, just as one of his former players became the latest in a long line of critics to question his credentials.

Nicolas Anelka followed the example of John Terry and Salomon Kalou by dismissing Grant's contribution to Chelsea's push for honours last season, the France striker blaming the Israeli for playing him out of position.

Grant's prediction, made in Bangkok after giving a lecture to Thailand Premier League representatives, is typical of the dignity that he has maintained since being sacked within 72 hours of losing the Champions League final on a penalty shoot-out in May. He also helped Chelsea to finish second in the Premier League and runners-up in the Carling Cup last season.

“In the last few months there have been big changes at Chelsea,” Grant said. “They are now better than Manchester United or Arsenal. Scolari is a good coach and can bring success.

“Chelsea have a good chance of winning the Premier League. When I took over, the English press and some Chelsea players did not believe in my ability. But I proved myself to them in the last two or three months when Chelsea nearly won three competitions.”

It appears, though, that Grant failed to alter the perception of all his detractors. Anelka's biggest complaint is that he was rarely played as a central striker, which goes some way to explaining him scoring only one league goal after signing from Bolton Wanderers in January. He is hoping for better treatment from Grant's successor.

“Scolari understands me better than Grant because I have never played on the right or the left since I have come to England,” Anelka said. “It was a difficult time because you know when you come to a new club, you want to play in your position and you want success. It's just good for me to play up front. I played in midfield, on the right or the left. So I am happy to play again in my position and I will try my best on the pitch.

“I know what I want and I know English football, so I know how to do it. For me, the boss does not have to speak to me because I know how to do it. So we will see what he wants.”

Anelka also claims that he deserves more sympathy than Terry for missing a penalty in the Champions League final shoot-out, as he had yet to establish a rapport with the Chelsea fans.

“For John, it was hard, but he is a big player at Chelsea,” he said. “I was new, so for me it was more difficult. I was not part of the competition at the beginning and I didn't play in my position when I arrived at Chelsea - I would play for maybe five or ten minutes. I am still thinking about it now because it's always hard to miss a penalty, but even more when you didn't play as much as you wanted in the competition.”