WEST HAM READY TO SUE LANDLORDS
They splashed £100m on players — but won’t pay up for big screen
The strained relationship between West ham and their London Stadium landlords reached a new low yesterday when vice-chairman Karren Brady threatened legal action over their latest squabble.
The Premier League club clinched what was described as the ‘deal of the century’ in 2016 when they agreed to pay just £2.5million per year in rent to play at the £700m arena. This summer they spent around £100m on new players.
But an argument has broken out over who should pay maintenance for the big screen in the stadium, which it is understood would run into just tens of thousands of pounds at most.
West ham insist it is not their responsibility and Brady says the club will not pay ‘invented’ nted’ bills as it is the duty of the London Legacy Development ln Corporation (LLDC) to cover running costs, as per their 99- year agreement. The dispute is threatening to boil over, with Brady accusing stadium operators e20 of acting deceitfully.
‘For the second year running runt e20 have attemptedd to t hold us to ransom and force us to pay a fee we are not liable for,’ Brady said yesterday. ‘The club simply cannot continue to yield to paying invented invoices year after year. We do not owe a fee for maintenance of the big screen and it has nothing to do with the MidTier honours.
‘We are frustrated and angry that our landlords should act in this underhand way and we will not hesitate to take a legal route to confirm our rights under the tenancy agreement.’
As a result of the dispute, e20 — who work on behalf of LLDC — are refusing to reinstate boards that advertise the club’s honours, such as their three FA Cup wins, inside the ground in Stratford.
The boards, removed for the Anniversary Games athletics last month, sat along the middle tier for the past two seasons but for Saturday’s game against Bournemouth, there was only London Stadium branding.
An LLDC spokesperson said: ‘We are more than willing to rent advertising space to West ham for the display of the club’s honours. however, there are some unpaid bills whichw need to be settled tledsettled before we will enter intinto a new deal for the 22018-19 season. The cclub already has a very good deal to use the London Stadium and it is only right and fair tthat it should pay to uuse additional assets in the venue.’ ThThis is just one of severseveral ongoing battles. Anotherth iinvolves the green carpet which surrounds the pitch. West ham want to replace it with a claret one but the LLDC want blue.
A day before yesterday’s statement was released, Brady revealed an open letter that has been sent to LLDC chief executive Lyn Garner. It explained how West ham had hired an ‘expert’ to prove a new carpet was required for safety reasons and there was ‘no valid reason’ it cannot be claret. The club added they would cover the £380,000 costs but issued a 14-day deadline for the LLDC to agree a compromise.
There is also a dispute over stadium naming rights.