Football
Kevin Palmer 9y

West Ham dismiss claims Olympic Stadium deal breaks EU laws

West Ham United have denied that the deal which will see them move into London's Olympic Stadium is in breach of European Union regulations.

A story in the Guardian newspaper suggested that decision of the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) signed off on the agreement without obtaining permission from the European Commission.

The report suggested West Ham may be "liable to pay the £138.9 million it is costing the public purse to convert the stadium for football use plus the difference between the £2.5 million and whatever the EC decided the market rate was."

But a statement issued by the Hammers to ESPN FC on Tuesday read: "West Ham United is confident that its agreement with the LLDC complies with all relevant UK and European legislation and categorically does not constitute state aid.

"The agreement will see West Ham make a substantial contribution towards the conversion works of a stadium that it may only rent for up to 25 match days a year, pay a multi-million pound usage fee, as well as a share of food and catering. Without West Ham, it would continue to cost the taxpayer millions."

West Ham are due to leave Upton Park, which has been their home since 1904, at the end of the 2015-16 season to move into the Olympic Stadium in Stratford.

Johnson was dismissive when the Guardian asked him for comment.

"They can bog off. It's totally ridiculous," Johnson said. "I can never exclude that some lawyer will come up with some ridiculous interpretation of article 105 of the EU treaty or whatever but I'm as confident as I can be that it isn't going to be a problem."

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