The end of the English Premier League season has left a sour taste in the mouth of all fans as a club which blatantly breached the rules has kept its place in the world's most prestigious football competition.
The nine month epic that is the EPL finally came to an end on Sunday night and all interest was on the relegation battle as the fate of West Ham, Sheffield United and Wigan all came down to the final day.
And virtually every football fan with even a passing interest in the EPL was hoping it would be West Ham that would join already relegated Charlton and Watford in English football's second tier next season.
But it was Sheffield United - a club which only won promotion to the EPL last season - that went down following its 2-1 home loss to Wigan while West Ham secured its top flight status with a 1-0 win at the home of this year's champions Manchester United.
However any sports fan who believes that fair play must come first must be horrified to learn that the Hammers will stay in the EPL next season despite making two illegal player signings during the season when they secured Argentine pair Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.
The Hammers signed both players, even though their contracts were still owned by a third party - something that is illegal under EPL rules.
And while Mascherano has since moved on to Liverpool, the brilliant Tevez is the main reason why West Ham secured enough points to eventually finish ahead of Wigan, Fulham, Sheffield United, Charlton and Watford in what was a tight relegation battle.
The brilliant Argentine inspired the Hammers to seven wins in their last nine matches and scored the goal on Sunday night at Old Trafford, which secured West Ham's place in the premiership next season.
The Hammers were fined £5.5million (A$13.1 million) by the Premier League over the issue, on the condition they tear up the third party agreement - which they agreed to do.
But crucially they were not deducted the points won while Tevez was not properly registered - which would have confirmed their relegation from the premiership.
And while $A13.1 million fine sounds a lot to Australian sports fans, it is a pittance when compared to the amount of money it costs club relegated from the world's richest football competition through the loss of income from the huge television revenues generated by the EPL.
Is it little wonder not only Sheffield United but also Charlton, Wigan and Fulham have combined forces in threatening to take the issue to court in a bid to overturn the EPL's decision.
Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock admitted to feeling "bitter" over the circumstances of his side's relegation, particularly considering West Ham enjoyed the luxury of facing a second-string Manchester United side on the final day of the season as the champions rested key players ahead of next Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea.
"It is only human to look at the dossier and not understand why they (West Ham) haven't had any points deducted and that is why you do get disappointed." Warnock said.
The Blades manager then suggested that West Ham's status as traditionally a much bigger and better supported club than any of Sheffield United, Wigan, Charlton or Fulham may have played a role in the decision not to strip them of points.
"By Tuesday it will all be in the bin and there won't be a big hoo-haa (because it's) Sheffield United - so what," Warnock said.
"West Ham are a big club with big reputations and they've obviously got good solicitors."
But it was Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe, who perhaps best summed up the feelings of all fans over the issue.
"What leaves a bad taste for football is that it (the relegation battle) has not quite been played on a level playing field with the West Ham issue," McCabe told Sky Sports News after the game.
"The fans of one club are in despair because their club has been relegated. To have the kick in the teeth of losing our (Premiership) status because we have played by the rules when another club hasn't...it ain't cricket."
Even Wigan chairman Dave Whelan, whose club survived at the expense of the Blades, admitted the wrong team had been relegated.
I don't think justice has been done. I wanted us to win and stay up and I'm happy," he told Sky Sports.
"But for West Ham to stay up is not justice and for Sheffield United to go down is not fair."
However the Premier League has already warned the clubs against taking any action of their decision, insisting any challenge would be "bound to fail."
But don't be surprised if this is not the last we have heard of the West Ham saga and unfortunately the fact the Hammers have survived has cast a cloud of what was another memorable EPL season - highlighted by Manchester United's superb effort to end two years of dominance by big-spending Chelsea as they claimed their ninth title since 1993.