West Ham chief David Sullivan hits back in Olympic Stadium row

Robust process: A group of football fans have called for an inquiry to examine the Olympic Stadium agreement
Handout/Getty Images
James Olley28 August 2015

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan today insisted the club’s Olympic Stadium deal is “not as one sided as people think” and dismissed the possibility of a public inquiry into the bidding process.

Sullivan launched a passionate defence of the Hammers’ deal amid allegations the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) will in effect subsidise the annual £2.5million rent — something the LLDC denies — by paying a similar figure for pitch maintenance and match-day stewarding.

West Ham move in at the end of the season after contributing just £15m to the £272m conversion cost. Most of the rest has been met by the taxpayer — and a group of football fans have called for an inquiry to examine the overall agreement. But Sullivan claims: a public inquiry is “never going to happen” because it was the “most robust bidding process ever” and “there are more important things to investigate”

West Ham will receive a fraction of the traditional amount from conventional stadium revenue streams including catering

An extended cup run could actually cost the club money because any additional matches over the 25 agreed sees the “price go through the roof”.

(Christopher Lee/Getty Images)

UK Athletics are understood to be contributing £1m to the conversion. Asked to comment on the call for a public inquiry, Sullivan said: “All I would say is that the deal we have done is a good deal for West Ham and a good deal for the owners of the stadium.

“People don’t know the details and it is confidential but there are all sorts of areas of income we have given up that are very, very good for the stadium owners.

“I can’t give exact figures because it is confidential. They cannot give exact figures because what will happen is, after every contract they sign, everyone will say ‘let’s have the details’ and nobody will ever sign a contract.

“It is a fantastic deal for West Ham but it is a fantastic deal for the operators. When Harry Potter is on at your local cinema, the cinema operator gets five per cent of the takings. They make their money on popcorn, Coca-Cola, chocolate and ice creams.

“The stadium operators get virtually the entire income from that. Similarly, we are renting the stadium for 25 days. They have got 340 days to get income from other people. Nobody is criticising the UK Athletics deal.

“If we use it for more than 25 days a year we have to pay additional money for every day. So if we have a cup run, the bills go right through the roof.

“So, it is not as one-sided as people think — it is a fantastic deal for both sides. But everyone has an opinion and some people’s opinions are based on nothing. An inquiry is not going to happen because they’ll throw away another £10m.

“I can think of bigger and far more important things to have a public inquiry about than a bidding process which was the most robust bidding tending process ever, that was controlled by a top firm of lawyers. And a bidding process that the whole world could bid for. If any of these clubs are moaning now, they should have bid. They didn’t.”

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