Chelsea fan set to pocket £20,000 for his prize catch

A Chelsea fan who pocketed Jose Mourinho's Premier League winner's medal stands to make more than £20,000 after putting it up for auction.

Company director Sebastian Kayll, 37, grabbed the souvenir after the coach threw it into the crowd as Chelsea celebrated their second successive title against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in 2006. Auctioneer Bonhams, which is holding a sport sale in Chester on 19 November, has set a reserve price of £19,000 but estimates bids could reach as much as £22,000. Kayll, who has been a Matthew Harding Stand season-ticket holder since 1993, said: “Bonhams reckon there are four or five millionaire collectors of Chelsea memorabilia but if Roman Abramovich wants to pay £100,000 and put it in the Chelsea museum, then all well and good. It will be bittersweet for me to sell. As a Chelsea fan, it is a great memento but it was just sitting in my safe at home. Mourinho has moved on and Scolari is doing great things now, so it feels the right time.”

When asked about his medal-chucking, Mourinho said at the time: “The medal was for everybody but I think the person who got it is a lucky guy who goes home with a fantastic memory or goes to eBay and makes a fortune.”

Usmanov raising the stakes

Stock markets may be plunging but shares in Arsenal are holding firm, given Russian investor Alisher Usmanov's continued interest in the club. The Moscow-based billionaire, whose fortune was reportedly hit by the credit crunch, is believed to have splashed out £374,000 this week on 48 more shares. The deal, which works out at £7,800 per share, bolsters his position as the club's biggest shareholder and lifts his stake closer to 25 per cent.

Hammers fury at FA over Tevez

West Ham head to the High Court next week for their latest Carlos Tevez battle amid growing anger at Upton Park with the Football Association. While FIFA and UEFA recognise the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne as the game's ultimate dispute resolution chamber, the FA do not and use arbitration panels to avoid court action. Hence, West Ham have no automatic right to appeal to CAS over the decision that they must compensate Sheffield United. The Hammers are fighting an injunction sought by the Blades to stop them going to CAS but believe the FA should have rendered next week's hearing obsolete by allowing clubs the Lausanne option. An FA spokesman said: “The parties agreed to the terms of the FA arbitration process when they decided to use the system to resolve this dispute.”

Hughes's stock falls in City

A month is a long time in football. At the start of October, Mark Hughes was the shining beacon for young British managers in the Premier League and was even linked with the Tottenham job prior to the exit of Juande Ramos. But three Manchester City defeats and one draw later and the mood has begun to shift. Word from the club's new Abu Dhabi owners is that they are yet to be convinced Hughes is the right man to take City forward.