Stadium deals dead?
Sky Sports' Lia Hervey says interest in occupying the Olympic Stadium post-Games may have ended.
By Lia Hervey
Last Updated: 19/01/12 6:18pm
Last year it seemed that everyone wanted the Olympic Stadium after the Games.
Fierce battles ensued between Spurs and West Ham football clubs resulting in court cases, allegations of spying and police arrests.
However all that may have changed. Insiders close to the Olympic stadium deal have raised concerns that last year's flurry of interest in the stadium could be dead.
When the Olympic Park Legacy Company collapsed the deal for West ham FC to take over the stadium along with Newham Council last year, it seemed to pave the way for a clearer bid process.
After West Ham was granted tenancy of the stadium after 2012, Spurs and Leyton Orient took legal action over the decision, claiming that Newham Council's £40 million loan to West Ham amounted to state aid.
Complaint
When an anonymous complaint was then made to the European Commission late that year over the same issue, the government and the Olympic Park Legacy Company felt they had no other option but to close the process and restart a new bid procedure. Years of costly and lengthy legal battles were likely to follow long after the Games were over.
However it's maybe just a little too late. The new terms appear far less attractive to potential bidders. Spurs' official position is that they are no longer interested in the stadium and are concentrating on the redevelopment of White Hart Lane.
A 60,000 seat stadium is probably too big for smaller football clubs such as Leyton Orient or a rugby or cricket club. The new idea is a multi-use stadium for a host of different sports but it seems few people want to share.
Last week Karren Brady suggested West Ham FC may no longer be interested. Is she trying to drive a hard bargain with the OPLC or is she genuinely no longer interested and trying to soften the blow for the fans? With an athletics track, the stadium is not the best place to play football.
As part of the new deal, it looks like West Ham won't have the naming rights - a valuable and lucrative asset to a cash strapped club. Hiring the stadium to play football means no seats in West Ham colours. It will just be any other stadium for the fans.
If this is the case, the Olympic Park Legacy Company is in trouble. They've worked effectively and tirelessly to secure deals for the many venues on the Olympic Park and struck deals for the Olympic village. They've had their hands tied by litigation. A move tricky to foresee.
However everyone knows that when the legacy is judged post-2012, all eyes will be on the stadium. Officials are now desperate that those eyes don't gaze into an empty shell or into balance books in the red.
