The Political Economy of Football V2

West Ham United’s relegation from football’s Premier League has reopened the debate about the legacy of London 2012, as ministers begin to look at whether the UK could host another Olympic Games in the 2040s. The east London club is set to pay less in rent for the stadium that was converted into a football venue after the 2012 Olympics when it starts in the English Championship next season, meaning less income for the public owners of the arena. The episode is the latest pitfall to face the London Stadium, which shone during the Olympics but has struggled to satisfy the public since. Athletes have complained that the stadium now hosts too little athletics, while football fans have criticised the distance between their seats and the pitch. The Hammers last week battled to avoid dropping into the second tier but North London side Tottenham Hotspur stayed up instead. Their tussle came 14 years after the two clubs vied to lease the Olympic Stadium, which hosted the 2012 Olympic and Par...

Relations between West Ham and the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) seem to have deteriorated since the Moore Stephens report, commissioned by London mayor Sadiq Khan, which predicted a £140m loss over ten years. Sadiq Khan is clearly unhappy with the deal reached by Boris Johnson. The club are already involved in a lengthy court case with the LLDC over expanding stadium capacity, but now there is a new dispute over services they say were promised to them. The club have asked for draught beer to be provided in all stadium bars, but the LLDC insist that West Ham should pay for the pumps. West Ham pay the £150,000 licence fee to show Sky Sports on televisions inside the stadium, but some of the screens carry LLDC adverts. The LLDC wants compensation if they are displaced. West Ham say the LLDC should pay for the hosts/hostesses in the directors' and corporate boxes, but the LLDC say the club should pay. West Ham want to replace the green cover that goes over the ru...

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has taken charge of the Olympic Stadium after a report found that it was losing more than £20m a year. Sadiq Khan criticised his predecessor, Boris Johnson, claiming that he had 'panicked' and allowed the taxpayer to foot the £300m bill to convert the venue into a football stadium for West Ham United. The conversion has cost £113m more than estimated and the stadium is forecast to lose £24m in 2017-18. Under the deal struck by Mr Johnson when he was mayor West Ham pays £2.5m a year as part of a 99-year lease, which is reduced to £1.25m if they are relegated from the Premier League. The costs of converting the stadium were largely borne by the taxpayer with the club contributing £15m. Stewarding and policing costs, along with such items as cleaners, turnstile operators, goalposts and corner flags are picked up by the publicly owned operator E20. The review commissioned by the mayor found that since that deal was signed, policing and stewarding co...