WEST HAM’S LEGAL BATTLE WITH SKY

Owners demand apology after club criticised on TV show

West Ham are embroiled in a dispute with sky sports after co- owners David sullivan and David Gold objected to critical comments about the club on the Sunday Supplement programme last weekend.

the club have complained about condemnation of sullivan and Gold’s financial stewardship over their 10 years in charge of West Ham, particularly a remark from one guest that referred to alleged ‘hands in the till’ and references to relegation battles.

the broadcaster are understood to have received a legal letter from West Ham demanding an apology after the running of the club was denounced by

several of the programme’s media guests. With many fans disenchanted by the team’s performances and the club’s move to the London Stadium, West Ham’s owners appear increasingly sensitive to criticism. Now they have hit out at Sky Sports in a dispute that, if unresolved, could have implications for the Premier League, because the broadcaster is the top flight’s main domestic rights-holder. Sunday Supplement has been a staple of Sky’s weekend football coverage since 1999, having succeeded a similar show called Hold the Back Page, with one source telling Sportsmail that a legal complaint from a club about opinions voiced by guests was unheard of. West Ham’s letter to Sky is understood to contain several complaints about coverage of the club’s on-field and off-field performances, which they claim were inaccurate. The club objected to descriptions of their recent campaigns as a series of relegation battles, pointing out that they finished 10th last season and 11th and 13th in previous campaigns. West Ham and Sky Sports declined to comment. The legal dispute comes at the end of a difficult week for the club, who lost 2-0 at home to Liverpool on Wednesday after announcing a pre-tax loss of £28.2million. Their survival fight was hit yesterday by news that Jack Wilshere (above) could be out for the season after a hernia operation. The 28-year-old midfielder, who has not played since October with a damaged groin, has been plagued by injuries since his arrival in 2018 and a pelvic problem prevented his return to training this month. Midfielder Thomas Soucek has joined from Slavia Prague.