Argentina's Tevez, Mascherano Join West Ham From Corinthians
By Alex Duff
Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, standouts for Argentina at the soccer World Cup, joined London's West Ham from Brazil's Corinthians in one of the biggest surprises on the final day allowed for players to be traded.
West Ham, who beat out competition from Manchester United and Arsenal according to the U.K.'s Sun newspaper, will have the services of two rising stars who cost Corinthians combined fees of about $35 million. West Ham, which last claimed a trophy in 1980 when it won the F.A. Cup, didn't disclose terms on its Web site.
``This is an amazing coup,'' former West Ham striker Tony Cottee told Sky Sports.
The club may have used its contacts with Media Sport Investment Ltd., which is also based in London and owns Corinthians, to seal the transaction. MSI, whose chairman is Iranian-born businessman Kia Joorabchian, was in talks for three months about buying West Ham before ending its interest in November. The parties failed to agree on the club's value.
One of several Argentine forwards to be labeled ``the new Diego Maradona,'' Tevez helped his nation claim gold at the 2004 Olympics, scoring eight goals in six matches. The 22-year-old striker also scored on his World Cup debut in June, speeding in from the left and slotting the ball past the Serbia & Montenegro goalkeeper.
He joined Sao Paulo's Corinthians from Boca Juniors for a $20 million fee in February 2005, a record transfer fee for a Brazilian club.
Fort Apache
The son of a bricklayer, Tevez grew up in a Buenos Aires slum so rough it was dubbed ``Fort Apache.'' When he was a year old, a pot of boiling water fell on him, scarring his neck and part of his face.
Defensive midfielder Mascherano, also 22, joined Corinthians from River Plate for $15 million three months before Tevez. Brazil's Pele described him as one of the top two players during the first phase at the World Cup.
West Ham was ninth in last season's Premiership, giving it a berth in Europe's second-tier UEFA Cup this season. It faces Palermo in the first round. MSI was prepared to pay 75 million pounds ($143 million) for the club, London's Evening Standard reported in August 2005.
MSI is ``a private investment fund'' that invests in top- level soccer, according to the Corinthians Web site. It was registered as a company in London on Aug. 31, 2004, with Joorabchian, 35, and Nojan Bedroud, 43, its directors, according to filings at Companies House.
Its purchase of Corinthians, one of Brazil's biggest soccer clubs, later that year was the subject of a probe by public prosecutors in Sao Paulo who tried to establish where the money for the transaction came from.
Joorabchian was formerly the chief executive of American Capital LLC, a New York-based investment company that bought Russian business daily Kommersant in 1999.
Bloomberg.com
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