West Ham cool reports of Tottenham using Upton Park for one season
Wednesday 21 October 2015 09:59, UK
West Ham have moved to cool reports that Tottenham could play at Upton Park for a season while White Hart Lane is redeveloped.
Spurs are looking for a stadium to call home for the 2017/18 season while they build their new 61,000-seater stadium, with Wembley believed to be the club's preferred option.
However, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy claims Chelsea have offered a four-year deal to land Wembley as their temporary home during their own redevelopment of Stamford Bridge, putting Tottenham's chances of using the national stadium in doubt.
The north London club's contingency plan is MK Dons' Stadium MK in Milton Keynes - more than 50 miles from Tottenham - and Sky sources understand a deal has already been verbally agreed for its use.
But although Tottenham are still determined to share Wembley with Chelsea, reports on Wednesday suggested Upton Park would be a possible solution because of doubts about the planned demolition of the stadium to make way for housing.
West Ham will leave the Boleyn Ground at the end of the season to move to the Olympic Stadium.
But Hammers vice-chairman Karen Brady has confirmed the club put a covenant on the ground which prevents any other club using it as their home ground or playing matches there without West Ham's permission.
"Therefore, this categorically rules out any other football team, including Tottenham Hotspur, from using the ground to play football matches unless the Board of West Ham United gives them permission to do so," read the statement.
