London Stadium Owners Demand West Ham Pay £300k a Year to Cover Cost of Claret and Blue Carpeting

West Ham's proposal to pay for a claret-and-blue carpet to cover the track around the London Stadium has been rejected by stadium owners, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC).

According to the Daily Mail, West Ham's vice chairman Karen Brady wrote an open letter last month stating the club were willing to make a one-off offer of £380,000 to replace the current green carpets covering the stadium's track but the LLDC are instead demanding a yearly payment of £300,000. 

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Lyn Garner, who was recently named as the LLDC's chief executive, has pinpointed where she believes the stem of the LLDC's financial troubles have grown from by saying: "No other Premier League football club has such an opportunity to have a track cover with its colours on.

"We think the club should pay not a one-off cost for the track cover but an annual fee. It is not unreasonable. What is really driving the problems here are the low rents paid by the concessionaires, particularly West Ham."

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West Ham's statement in response to Garner's comments read as follows: "West Ham United initially offered to purchase London Stadium but our request was denied. We were given a tenancy agreement because we were the best offer by far on the table.

"All we have ever done is honour the terms of our tenancy agreement which has 97 years to run."

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This is not the first time West Ham and the LLDC have been at odds. According to the Telegraph, Brady has accused LLDC subsidiary E20 of using unsporting tactics to try force West Ham to increase their payment to the LLDC, the vice-chairman saying: "For the second year running, E20 have attempted to hold us to ransom and force us to pay a fee we are not liable for."