Premier League clubs Wigan Athletic and Fulham are considering legal action of their own against West Ham United in light of the independent arbitration ruling that recently went against the Hammers.

Championship side Sheffield United won a 16-month legal battle against the East London club after the perceived injustice of their relegation to the second-tier of football in 2007. Which saw the Upton Park side fined a record £5.5million by the FA, but not deducted any points for fielding Argentine International’s Javier Mascherano and Carloz Tevez, who were in breach of league rules due to third-party ownership issues.

West Ham plan to appeal the latest ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, with the panel at the ruling deciding that Tevez and Mascherano were worth at least three points to the Irons. Which would have meant West Ham finishing 18th and being relegated to the Championship instead of Sheffield United.

This would also have meant the Latics and the Cottagers finishing above West Ham, with the two Premiership sides weighing up legal action to claim £550,000 each. Which is the amount both clubs would have received for finishing one place higher.