Features
Olympic Stadium Decision Delayed
West Ham United soccer club still doesn’t know which league or stadium it will be playing in next season.
The London Legacy Development Corporation, or what was the Olympic Park Legacy Company, isn’t likely to decide on the future of the Olympic Stadium by its self-imposed deadline of May 21.
The Hammers, who need to win a playoff against Blackpool to earn promotion to the English Premier League, have always been favourite to occupy the Olympic venue after the Games.
The LLDC isn’t letting on how far it’s gotten with the decision-making process, claiming the information is commercially sensitive.
Like the OPLC before it, it appears to be struggling to run a bidding process that satisfies potential tenants, secures the venue’s financial future and is legally sound.
Last year the OPLC chose West Ham as its anchor tenant but legal challenges from under-bidders, neighbouring London soccer clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient, forced it to reconsider.
Although Tottenham appears to have decided to build a new stadium near its current home at White Hart Lane, north London, the Daily Telegraph suggests the LLDC is still nervous that sticking with West Ham will spark another legal challenge from Orient.
The LLDC told the paper it would not comment, citing the “confidential process.”