Hammers may regret stadium tit for tat
I must confess to getting confused with all the various acronyms and abbreviations when it comes to who runs the London Stadium. In actual fact, I’m not entirely sure that the former Olympic Stadium will be called ‘The London Stadium’ for much longer, so things are likely to become more confusing.
So, please excuse me if I get my Delaware North’s, LLDC’s, Stadium 185’s, and E20’s in a muddle. Frankly, it’s so tenuous that I’m beyond caring or clarifying. However, there is one thing I do know—the angst between the club and the stadium is an unhealthy situation for West Ham.
Let me attempt to recap in layman’s terms…
West Ham are currently considering suing either the stadium or the caterers over the price of a pint and a packet of crisps. As someone who enjoys both of these items, I can testify to their lofty prices when purchased at West Ham games. Unfortunately, the situation is precisely of the club’s own making because they don’t own the ground, so they can’t exert control over the grub the landlord is serving up.
Hammers may regret stadium angst.
Then we get to the situation where the stadium naming rights are at a stalemate due to confusion over who gets paid what. Once again, we appear to be heading into a situation where a legal dispute would not come as a surprise.
Hammers may regret deal of the century
Only recently, the London Stadium (insert your chosen acronym here) was so incensed with the nature of West Ham’s tenancy that they sued the solicitors who signed off on the deal. To put it simply, the landlords feel their tenants have a 99-year lease, which is untenable and will require a further £232m to assist in running costs.
Clearly, everyone has scrutinised the contract in an effort to tear it up or amend it, but it’s watertight. West Ham does indeed have the ‘deal of the century,’ but it’s clear the relationship between the stadium and the club has broken down to such an extent that it’s unworkable.
While some might rejoice in such an excellent deal, I would suggest it’s not a healthy situation. The London Stadium is falling into a state of disrepair. The top tier was designed to be decommissioned in 2014 and reverted to a 25,000 athletics arena. Whilst the roof may be relatively new, it’s built on a temporary structure.
We’re going to need the help of the stadium management if West Ham is going to continue renting in Stratford. I’m not entirely sure dragging them through the courts will necessarily help.