Video: Maradona at his best

While they will for ever argue whether Carlos Tévez single-handedly ensured West Ham United’s Premier League survival two seasons ago, Gianfranco Zola, the club’s manager, has said that not even a player of the calibre of Diego Maradona, arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport, was capable of winning a match on his own.

Tévez’s worth to West Ham during the 2006-07 season was calculated as at least three points by an arbitration panel, which ruled this week that West Ham should pay compensation to Sheffield United for their relegation in 2007. While Tévez played a significant role in keeping West Ham up that season, Sheffield United did not have to show that the Argentina forward was the sole reason to win the legal argument — merely that he was an important factor.

During his early career at Napoli, Zola played with Maradona, who boasted numerous accolades including two Italian titles and being named World Player of the Year after leading Argentina to their World Cup triumph in 1986, when he was named the player of the tournament. “I have never seen a game where Maradona won the game on his own,” Zola said. “Obviously, a great player can make a hell of a difference, but you need all the other players to support you.”

And these days managers need financial support to carry out their job, so Zola was pleased when Scott Duxbury, the club’s chief executive, told him that any compensation payment ordered by the arbitration panel will not affect his transfer budget. “That’s the kind of assurance I wanted,” Zola said.

There was bad news for the Italian yesterday, though, when he learnt that Dean Ashton, the striker, could be sidelined for several weeks with an ankle injury that requires an exploratory operation next week.

Zola was labelled “Mr Nice Guy” as a player, but he has shown his authority as a manager by fining Carlton Cole two weeks’ wages (about £40,000) after he broke the club’s curfew by being out in the early hours of Tuesday. The forward was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving in London and bailed to return to a police station in November.

“I am very disappointed, I spoke to him, he is very sorry,” Zola said. “Being so nice doesn’t mean I’m stupid. I have responsibility. Don’t be too hard with him, he’s just been out late in the evening, but he wasn’t drunk. He’s going to pay, but that doesn’t take away the chances he has.”

The incident has helped Zola to serve warning on other players about his character. “I’ve a nasty side,” he said. “You don’t want to see me like that. But this is not the case, it was a mistake. I have to take a decision and make sure there is a balance.”

Zola has said that Cole has the potential to play for England, should he fulfil the ability he showed as a trainee at Chelsea. “I will not accept players not looking after their bodies,” Zola said. “If he wants to play at national level, he can’t afford to do things like that. If you want to have a clear mind and a fresh body in the morning, you have to have at least eight hours’ sleep. Our training sessions are very demanding, so they can’t afford to go out late.”

Court in the crossfire

West Ham United expect to lodge an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) next week in an attempt to overturn a decision to award Sheffield United an estimated £30 million in compensation after their relegation two years ago.

The club hope to argue their case to CAS in the next few weeks. CAS has said that usually it will preside over a disagreement only where an appeal is permitted under the governing body’s rules, or where both parties agree to arbitration. The FA has said that its regulations do not allow a further right of appeal.

After the award to Sheffield United, it has been reported that some of their players are also considering legal action against West Ham to win compensation for their financial losses after the club were relegated.

Words by Gary Jacob