Sun 24th May - Upton Park
By Jeffrey Glorie Last updated: 23rd July 2008
Middlesbrough striker Afonso Alves does not have to pay AZ Alkmaar any compensation, an arbitration panel has ruled.
Alves joined Boro in a club record £12million deal from Heerenveen in January, having also been wanted by AZ.
The Eredivisie side were demanding a payment of 7.5million euros (£5.9million) from Alves after claiming the Brazilian had signed a pre-contract agreement to join them.
The Dutch FA had ruled in February that the contract did not mean that Heerenveen had to sell Alves to AZ, leaving the Alkmaar club to take the matter up with the player.
However, the judges on the arbitration panel have ruled that the contract that Alves signed with AZ is not valid as it does not contain the signature of his agent Wagner Ribeiro.
The panel deemed that AZ should have been aware that the contract also required the signature of Fifa-licensed agent Ribeiro in order to be valid.

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| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 22nd July | |
| Friendly Match | |
| 19:30 | Dumbarton vs Middlesbrough |
| Saturday 25th July | |
| Friendly Match | |
| 15:00 | Carlisle vs Middlesbrough |
| Wednesday 29th July | |
| Friendly Match | |
| 19:30 | Darlington vs Middlesbrough |
| Friday 7th August | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 20:00 | Middlesbrough vs Sheff Utd |
| Saturday 15th August | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Swansea vs Middlesbrough |
| Tuesday 18th August | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Scunthorpe vs Middlesbrough |
| Saturday 22nd August | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Middlesbrough vs Doncaster |
| Saturday 29th August | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Bristol City vs Middlesbrough |
| Saturday 12th September | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Middlesbrough vs Ipswich |
| Tuesday 15th September | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Sheff Wed vs Middlesbrough |
| Saturday 19th September | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Middlesbrough vs West Brom |
| Saturday 26th September | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Coventry vs Middlesbrough |
| Tuesday 29th September | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Middlesbrough vs Leicester |
| Saturday 3rd October | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Reading vs Middlesbrough |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 24th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| West Ham 2 - 1 Middlesbrough | |
| Saturday 16th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Aston Villa | |
| Monday 11th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Newcastle 3 - 1 Middlesbrough | |
| Saturday 2nd May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Middlesbrough 0 - 2 Man Utd | |
| Sunday 26th April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Arsenal 2 - 0 Middlesbrough | |
| Saturday 18th April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Middlesbrough 0 - 0 Fulham | |
| Saturday 11th April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Middlesbrough 3 - 1 Hull | |
| Saturday 4th April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Bolton 4 - 1 Middlesbrough | |
| Saturday 21st March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Stoke 1 - 0 Middlesbrough | |
| Saturday 14th March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Portsmouth | |
| Sunday 8th March | |
| The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON | |
| Everton 2 - 1 Middlesbrough | |
| Wednesday 4th March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Tottenham 4 - 0 Middlesbrough | |
| Saturday 28th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Middlesbrough 2 - 0 Liverpool | |
| Wednesday 25th February | |
| The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON | |
| Middlesbrough 2 - 0 West Ham | |
| Saturday 21st February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Middlesbrough 0 - 0 Wigan | |
| Saturday 14th February | |
| The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON | |
| West Ham 1 - 1 Middlesbrough | |
| Saturday 7th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 1 - 0 Middlesbrough | |
| Saturday 31st January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Middlesbrough 0 - 0 Blackburn | |
| Wednesday 28th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 2 - 0 Middlesbrough | |
| Saturday 24th January | |
| The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON | |
| Wolverhampton 1 - 2 Middlesbrough | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Ipswich Town | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Leicester City | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Middlesbrough | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Newcastle United | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Nottingham Forest | 0 | 0 |
Matthew Bates has insisted he has no regrets about his decision to remain at Middlesbrough.
Chelsea have completed the signing of Ross Turnbull from Middlesbrough on a free transfer.
David Wheater is confident of being fit for Middlesbrough's season opener against Sheffield United.
Sky Sports has announced its first live games for the season, including Boro, Newcastle and WBA.
Gareth Southgate insists that he will not throw youngsters into his first team for the sake of it.