The Premier League and the FA are to launch an inquiry into West Ham United's conduct in the Carlos Tevez affair, English soccer's governing body said on its website (www.thefa.com) yesterday.

The inquiry will investigate the "views expressed by the Independent Arbitral Tribunal chaired by Lord Griffiths in Sept. 2008, which dealt with a compensation claim by Sheffield United against West Ham United brought under FA Rules.

"The joint inquiry will examine whether the conduct of West Ham immediately after the Independent Disciplinary Commission's decision of 27 April 2007 amounted to further breaches of Premier League or FA Rules."

An independent tribunal had ruled Argentine striker Tevez, who now plays for Manchester United, was not eligible to play for West Ham at the end of the 2006/07 season.

He was deemed to have had a key role in the London club's Premier League survival as Sheffield United were relegated, seemingly opening the way for United to make a compensation claim.

West Ham, who were fined £5.5 million ($8.28 million) for breaching Premier League rules over third-party agreements, then filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne. But Sheffield United claimed this breached the arbitration agreement between the clubs and that CAS had no jurisdiction to hear such an appeal.

Last November the High Court in London granted Sheffield United a temporary order stopping West Ham's appeal.

The clubs are expected to return to the High Court later this year when Sheffield United will be seeking a permanent injunction.