Thursday, March 7, 2013

Legal fight over London Olympic Stadium

Leyton Orient have started a legal fight against the decision to allow fellow football club West Ham United to move into London's Olympic Stadium.

Orient, who play in England's third tier League One, are geographically the nearest football club to the Olympic Stadium, which is in the east London borough of Stratford, and have long been concerned about the potential impact of Premier League side West Ham moving to the site from their existing Upton Park ground.

Orient signalled their willingness to ground-share at the STG429 million ($A637 million) venue but the club's owner, Barry Hearn, the leading British sports promoter, has become alarmed by the prospect of West Ham becoming the sole football side based at the stadium.

Now Hearn, also the World Snooker chairman, has asked for a judicial review of the bid process.

"The rules of the bidding process created by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) we do not believe provided for teaming, which is for all parties to share the stadium," Hearn said on Wednesday.

"We have gone to the High Court to have the decision struck out."

The LLDC board, the body which has the responsibility for securing the stadium's future, in December named West Ham as the number one choice to move into the Olympic Stadium.

"We have been notified that Leyton Orient have made the decision to issue proceedings for judicial review," said an LLDC spokesman.

"Whilst this is disappointing, we believe that our processes have been robust, fair and transparent and that the challenge is misconceived."

Ground-sharing, while common in Europe, with the likes of Italian giants AC Milan and Inter Milan both playing at the city's San Siro stadium, is a rarity in England.

The original deal for West Ham to take over the stadium collapsed in 2011 due to legal challenges from both Tottenham Hotspur and Orient.

Source: http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8622269

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