West Ham will finally get their day in court next week when the long-running feud over capacity at the London Stadium goes before a judge.
Last Thursday West Ham went to the court of appeal to force stadium owners E20 to reveal six crucial emails which they claim contain proof of an ‘off-radar’ discussion which sheds significant light on the Hammers case that they are entitled to increase to 60,000.
The leading appeal Judge explained: “It is claimed by West Ham that the agreement with E20 intends an obligation of good faith in relation increase in seating and what should be done to secure that and you wish to look at these documents as may shed some light on good faith ”
West Ham United and London Stadium owners E20 will face each other in a court on Monday 19th November in a case that is likely to last several weeks and call a number of senior witnesses from both sides.
West Ham Vice-Chairman Karren Brady when speaking to the London Assembly Budget monitoring committee last month estimated that both sides had spent around £2m each so far adding that whoever loses would pay the other side’s legal costs. E20 have revealed that they have spent close to £6m in legal costs relating to the London Stadium since 2013. E20 has yet to win a legal case against West Ham, having lost every time they have gone up against them.
The court case will centre aro how the judge interprets the London Stadium concessionaire agreement signed by both West Ham and E20 Stadium LLP in 2013 as applied to capacity allowed.
The agreement which is in the public domain via The London Stadium Transparency website defines the minimum football capacity of 54,000 but is silent on the subject of a maximum capacity despite having over 66,000 seats available in the stadium.
The agreement appears to imply that West Ham has the full use of concessionaire areas on match days which the club are understood to have interpreted to include all the seats within the stadium.
The judge will decide who is right and who is wrong in a winner takes all dispute!
In The Mirror newspaper today a couple of there reporter’s ( out of five ) are saying the London Stadium is the worst football stadium the’ve ever been to for football ??? For all the extra seats the club are fighting for ? Will all the people who will be acquiring the seats, will they be be saying the same?? Or are the two journalists spuds supporters 😊?????? (Footnote)!!! It is what it is!!! (The London Stadium)??? We are stuck with it now ,Upton park or the Boleyn or what ever we called it, has gone, it was all great memories but its all gone ! (the ground that is) it’s a block of flats now and a garden. But the memories live on in our hearts and minds and as the song says ” they can’t take that away from me”