Mayor puts London Stadium decisions on hold as he jets off

Decisions on the London Stadium will need to wait until next year after the London Mayor jetted off to India hours after he made an announcement he was taking over the former Olympic Stadium.

Sadiq Kahn’s held media interviews on Friday in which he repeatedly blamed his predecessor Boris Johnson and made digs at West Ham for getting the deal of the century and saying he didn’t blame them for looking a gift horse in the mouth. He then jetted off for a six-day tour of India and Pakistan.

Despite the image of the Mayor riding in on a white horse to solve the stadium financial problems, the truth is that the London Mayor was already the 65% majority shareholder of the London Stadium before Friday and has done little to resolve the problem during his time in office despite having the option to wade in.

It will be the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) which will make decisions as they have done for many years. Their CEO David Goldstone is due to leave the organisation soon to join the MOD with a successor yet to be announced.

Claret and Hugh understand that no meeting between the London Mayor and West Ham United has yet been scheduled and begs the question whether Friday’s announcement was all about show to put pressure on West Ham to do the right thing.

A social media poll of 725 West Ham fans reveals that 78% believe the club hold their nerve to defend their existing contract while 22% believe they should renegotiate the agreement to give a fairer deal to taxpayers who are subsidising the stadium.