West Ham are facing a brand new battle over their use of the London Stadium that the club’s chiefs insist they will win – but the future is shrouded in doubt.
The London Stadium is still a very sore subject for West Ham fans as the club now approaches a decade calling the Stratford ground their home.
Many supporters have never taken to the bowl-shaped arena and perhaps never will in its current configuration, where the stands are so far from the pitch.
When West Ham are doing well the stadium is less of an issue of course.
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But there is no doubt the cavernous stadium has played its part in some of the team’s difficulties since the Irons left their beloved Upton Park back in 2016.
The fact West Ham don’t own their own ground, instead renting the former Olympic Stadium for around 26 days a year, also sticks in the craw of many Hammers.
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Despite being anchor tenants and the move to the stadium being described as the ‘deal of the century’, the ground has never felt like home for a large number of fans.
It is one of the biggest grievances – on a very long list – protesting supporters have with the club’s under-fire owners.
Now West Ham are insisting they will win a brand new London Stadium battle but the future is unclear.
West Ham had only been at the London Stadium for one season when a big issue emerged.
The Hammers were forced to play their first three games of the 2017/18 campaign away from home due to the World Athletic Championships taking place at the London Stadium.
That would never happen if West Ham owned their own ground and it reinforced the opinion among many fans that the move was a big mistake.
There have been a host of battles off the pitch over the stadium, the latest seeing West Ham taken to court and forced to pay more money to their landlords after a five-year legal wrangle.
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The Hammers were ordered to pay over £3.5m to their London Stadium landlords as a penalty resulting from Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky buying into the club back in 2021.
It came about as a result of the club’s London Stadium agreement which stated that a penalty must be paid if there was any sale of shares which increased the club’s value.
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When Kretinsky purchased a 27 per cent stake, the club contested £3.6m of the £6.5m paid to their landlords two years later following an “expert determination” from a lawyer.
But a ruling found against West Ham last month.
Now the Hammers face a new London Stadium fight which could seem them once again forced to play a series of consecutive matches away from home to make way for Athletics.
London has thrown its hat into the ring to host the the 2029 World Athletics Championships with the former Olympic Stadium the centre-piece for the bid.
World Athletics have already made it clear their preferred option would be a September meet, at the close of the traditional track and field season.
The Daily Mail says West Ham are refusing to agree to playing away from the stadium for up to three weeks mid-season and are not backing down.
That’s despite their reluctance putting the bid in jeopardy.
“In a statement, West Ham insist the terms of their awkward relationship with the stadium grant them ‘priority’ during the football season and, privately, club sources are confident they can defend their position through legal avenues if necessary,” The Daily Mail reports.
But while West Ham’s owners are insisting they will win any battle over the use of the ground, the future is very much unclear.
Firstly, the event is three-and-a-half years away.
West Ham’s current owners are being hounded by fans to leave the club and that campaign shows no sign of easing up.
So their insistence that the Hammers will fight being forced out of their “home” ground for three weeks may be rendered meaningless if the owners vacate by then.
Secondly, the international football calendar is changing from this year.
At the start of every football season there are three two-week international breaks in September, October and November.
The schedule drives club football fans potty as they break up the brand new season and wreck any chance for early season momentum.
From this year, the October break is being scrapped and instead the September break is being extended to three weeks.
If that remains the case by 2029 then the likelihood is that West Ham’s fixture schedule would be uninterrupted by the championships taking place at the London Stadium.
With the future of the current board so uncertain, who is to say West Ham won’t have new owners by late 2029?
Perhaps new owners who want to build their own ground or own the London Stadium outright so they can turn it into a proper football arena.
In the meantime, West Ham have a far greater and more important fight on their hands – staying in the Premier League.
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