More legal action awaits

West Ham are set to be dragged back to the courts after deliberately withholding payments to Danish club FC Midtjylland in regards to the transfer of Winston Reid.

The New Zealand international joined West Ham in the summer of 2010 following an impressive World Cup tournament. But according to a report by Jason Burt in today's Telegraph, United are yet to pay his former club a single penny of the £4million transfer fee.

Far from being unable to pay, West Ham's board are said to be refusing to sanction payments in protest at FIFA's apparent inaction regarding the sale of Alessandro Diamanti to Brescia last year.

The Italian club have failed on several occasions to meet instalment deadlines, with West Ham - like Midtjylland - yet to see a single penny from the transfer. The state of affairs led United to complain to FIFA and request that the player's registration be suspended until payments are forthcoming.

Since that request was made more than three months ago, the game's ruling body have failed to act; West Ham's response has been to halt all payments due to foreign clubs, according to Burt.

Meanwhile Diamanti continues to ply his trade for Serie A's bottom club Bologna, who further muddied the waters by purchasing part ownership of the former Hammers dead-ball specialist earlier in the year.

As is sadly only too familair at the Boleyn Ground these days, 2011 has proved to be yet another litigious year for West Ham United FC.

In addition to the new FIFA-related threat, the Hammers had former defender Manuel Da Costa charged with assault back in January - whilst a youth team player was arrested on suspicion of rape three months later in April.

Meanwhile the Olympic Stadium row has seen the club in and out of courtrooms on a regular basis since the decision to award West Ham tenancy of the Olympic Stadium was announced in February. That decision was reversed yesterday.