12 Juiciest Transfer Scandals in World Football

The transfer window has conjured up some scandalous moments in the past.

These scandals can tarnish the reputations of those involved and generally had one side hating the other, at least for a little while.

The general intrigue of what happens in these scandals got them on this list. These various incidents provided a lot of talking points for spectators.

Here are some of the juiciest transfer scandals in world football.

John Obi Mikel: Lyn Oslo to Chelsea Via Manchester United

Early on in 2005, Manchester United announced the signing of Nigerian youngster John Obi Mikel. Just a few months later, Mikel said he signed for the wrong club.

The youngster was apparently unhappy with how things were dealt with between his club Lyn Oslo and Manchester United, claiming that Chelsea was his destination all along.

The warring clubs then called upon FIFA to decide the case with the organization ordering the player to return to Lyn Oslo.

Chelsea eventually came to an agreement with Lyn Oslo and Manchester United, signing the player in the process.

In 2008 it seemed things were still not finished as Chelsea decided to pursue legal action against Lyn Oslo.

Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano: Corinthians to West Ham

This deal involved some outside investment. Half the rights to both Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano were owned by a series of offshore companies like Media Sports Investment (MSI).

Though the two players were signed and allowed to play, the legality of the deal was a mystery thanks to the involvement of these companies.

West Ham ended up being charged by the Premier League for various offenses and were eventually fined as a result of their actions in the event.

Luis Figo: Barcelona to Real Madrid

Luis Figo's move was definitely scandalous as far as Barcelona fans are concerned and it may have been the same for some Real Madrid fans.

After five years of service to Barcelona, Figo transferred to archrivals Real Madrid.

In one of the most infamous moments in El Clasico, a Barcelona fan threw a pig's head at Figo while he was going to take a corner.

Alfredo Di Stefano: Millonarios to Real Madrid

Alfredo Di Stefano was the subject of a very interesting transfer battle between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

After lengthy negotiations between Barcelona officials and Di Stefano's current club, Millonarios, Di Stefano arrived in Spain to conclude the deal.

This was halted due to Millonarios' complaint to FIFA that the player was leaving without their permission, even though the team that owned his rights, River Plate, were okay with the agreement.

FIFA entrusted the decision to the Spanish Federation who agreed that both clubs, River Plate and Millonarios, had to agree before anything was official.

Real Madrid's president, Santiago Bernabeu, stepped in to sign the player and after some more negotiations it was agreed that both clubs would sign the player, with him spending four years in Spain, two at each club.

Barcelona fans and officials were incensed and Marti Carreto, the club's president, resigned. Somehow, Di Stefano ended up at Real Madrid for 10 years.

Philippe Mexes: Auxerre to Roma

Philippe Mexes joined Roma in 2004 despite the validity of his move being questioned by his parent club Auxerre.

FIFA intervened and ruled in favour of the player but suspended him from playing for six weeks.

The ban was then lifted pending further investigation, thus allowing Mexes to take part in the first half of his new club's season.

Eventually the ban was reinstated as it was found that Mexes was guilty of a breach in contract.

Roberto Baggio: Fiorentina to Juventus

Roberto Baggio is another famous player whose transfer was a scandal for fans of the club he was departing.

Baggio joined Fiorentina's biggest rival Juventus in what was a record transfer at the time. The move sparked riots in Florence.

Baggio explained his move saying that he "was compelled to accept" the Juventus offer.

Essam El-Hadary: Al Ahly to Sion FC

Al Ahly's Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary took matters into his own hands when he decided to move to FC Sion without the permission of his club.

El-Hadary returned to the club and was fined, as the two clubs did not reach an agreement. Sion still claimed to have a valid contract with the player.

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Despite his return to training with Al Ahly, Sion officials say the goalkeeper has a valid contract with their club.

"El Hadary has signed a contract with us running until 2011 and this contract is still valid. An agreement to cancel the contract has not been reached," Sion spokesman Lars Gansauer told BBC Sport.

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Hadary was eventually freed to play for Sion but was then banned for four months and fined a hefty amount.

Matuzalem: Shaktar Donetsk to Real Zaragoza

Matuzalem used a more official approach to some of the candidates on this list. He informed Shaktar Donetsk that he was unilaterally terminating his contract with immediate effect.

As a result, he would join Real Zaragoza in Spain. Shaktar responded by warning the player that such a move would result in disciplinary action from the club, to whom he was still legally contracted.

After he signed with Real Zaragoza, Shaktar informed the Spanish club that they were to be compensated with a €25 million payment.

The dispute went to FIFA and both the player and Real Zaragoza were asked to pay 6.8 million to his former club.

Shaktar claimed the compensation was still too low and won a case to have the fee brought to over €11 million.

Sol Campbell: Tottenham to Arsenal

The Bosman ruling helped create one of the highest-profile moves in the Premier League when Tottenham's Sol Campbell joined his club's greatest rivals Arsenal.

Campbell left the club without them getting any compensation whatsoever and then had solid success at Arsenal.

To top it all off, at one point the player said that he would never leave the club.

Andy Webster: Hearts to Wigan

Andy Webster caused a ruling that is almost as significant for player power as the Bosman ruling.

Webster was having a decent career in Scotland and attracted the interest of Rangers. Hearts, his club at the time, refused to let the player speak to Rangers.

He stayed on for another season but was involved in a dispute with the club owner after refusing to extend his contract. Still, later that year, with one year remaining on his contract, he signed with Wigan.

Hearts then demanded compensation only for FIFA's ruling to come out to a much smaller sum than they wanted. Hearts appealed that decision as did Webster, and the end result was the sum being reduced even more.

At one point during this time, he moved to Rangers on loan only six months after joining Wigan and eventually completed a full transfer a year later.

Ashley Cole: Arsenal to Chelsea

This transfer happened after both Ashley Cole and Jose Mourinho, and some others, got the ball rolling.

After being involved in a secret meeting concerning a possible move for the player, Cole, Mourinho and Chelsea were fined after a tapping-up investigation by the Premier League.

Somehow Cole ended up staying at the club for another year before finally completing the transfer. His actions and those of the Chelsea officials were certainly scandalous.

Mo Johnston: Celtic to Rangers Via Nantes

Mo Johnston definitely provided a lot of talking points in his roundabout move from Celtic to Rangers.

After performing well for Celtic, Johnston left the club to play for Nantes in France. After two years the player decided he wanted to return to Scotland.

It was believed he would re-sign with his old club and, eventually, Celtic announced the player's signing and presented him to the media.

This deal was never valid though, as Johnston's agent Bill McMurdo stated in an interview years later that a sports investment group holding the rights to Johnston wanted to sell to the highest bidder. That bidder turned out to be Rangers.

Fans of both clubs were incensed and there were reports of Rangers fans burning scarves and others insisting on returning season tickets.