It could be the final nail in the coffin for West Ham’s wildly unpopular owners if grave fears about a QPR takeover at the London Stadium are realised.
The Hammers welcome London rivals Queens Park Rangers to the London Stadium in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.
The match comes as welcome respite from the hell of the Premier League for West Ham, who are winless in 10 games.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s job is in limbo as West Ham stare relegation to the Championship in the face.
West Ham to get a taste of next season as QPR come to town
As things stand it looks like they will be joining QPR in the second tier – although the west Londoners still have hopes of a play-off spot.
West Ham fans are planning to continue their season-long campaign of protests against the club’s owners during the QPR match.
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The game, which is live on TNT Sports, offers the opportunity for further exposure for Hammers United’s ‘Show BS the red card’ activism, with supporters holding up red cards towards the director’s box.
When West Ham’s Fan Advisory Board issued a public vote of no confidence in the owners back in September, one of the many grievances they aired was away fans infiltrating home sections of a stadium most already intensely dislike.
It has been a persistent problem since the Hammers left their beloved Upton Park for the former Olympic Stadium.
West Ham have vowed to try and tackle the issue.
But West Ham’s owners face new fury as QPR London Stadium takeover fears could be realised.
Given the dismal results and performances West Ham have put supporters through for the last two years, it would be totally understandable if the London Stadium was half empty for the visit of QPR.
However, quite the opposite will be true.
West Ham owners face fury over QPR London Stadium takeover
The match is on course to be close to a 62,500 sell-out – for a third round FA Cup tie against opposition from the league below.
That has sparked big fears that thousands of QPR fans have managed to get tickets for the home section.
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QPR had an allocation of 9,000 tickets for the game – as away teams are allocated 15 per cent for FA Cup matches.
Hammers insider Sean Whetstone has revealed that QPR sold out their allocation with eight minutes of going on general sale.
On the eve of West Ham vs Queens Park Rangers, just 2,405 tickets remained on the West Ham ticket office as of 3pm on Saturday, January 10th.
Around 1,745 tickets had been sold in the 24 hours prior, so there is every chance the game will sell out completely by kick-off.
Whetstone says there have been reports on social that as many as 6,000 away fans have purchased tickets in home sections, bringing their potential away following to 15,000.
More than 6,000 QPR fans could be in West Ham sections
“As it stands, West Ham will have in excess of 45,000 at the London Stadium,” said Whetstone, who counts the club’s board among his close contacts.
“The last 2,405 tickets could be sold before kick-off tomorrow, but the question is, who is buying them?”
The Hammers insider says the club is aware of QPR fans are buying tickets in home areas.
“They have already put a number of seats on hold over the last few weeks and written to supporters, following their usual audit procedures,” Whetstone added.
If QPR take over the ground, it will be the final straw for many fans when it comes to the owners.
Especially if the Hammers fail to win yet again.
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