Sadiq Khan's clear message over West Ham ownership change and London Stadium's future

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has indicated he would not have an issue with West Ham United vacating the London Stadium if prospective new owners tabled plans for a move away.

The mood around the venue that hosted the London 2012 Olympic Games has grown even more toxic this season. Residual anger from the controversial move from Upton Park to Stratford in 2016 has given way to frequent protests inside and outside the stadium.

Many supporters have been rallying against majority shareholder David Sullivan, demanding he sells the club. However, with the ownership confirming a 99-year lease on the stadium in 2013, any plans for a new stadium, from the current ownership or interested buyers, are yet to be considered.

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West Ham cannot make significant changes to the structure of the London Stadium without owning it, and no deal to take full control of the venue is in the offing. Fans have been left feeling envious of the likes of Everton and rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who have built grounds more suited to football in recent times.

Khan, who announced at Wembley Stadium his Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) has partnered with London United – the community foundations of all 17 of London’s professional football clubs – in a major boost to tackling violence and exploitation, exclusively told football.london he would discuss the future of the stadium if a serious proposal from new buyers was tabled to West Ham.

He said: "The London Stadium is a fantastic asset to our great city, in terms of not just the football that takes place there, but the things that take place in other periods, whether it's athletics, whether it's concerts, whether it's baseball and so forth.

"I've been hearing about new owners of West Ham for the last nine years since I've been mayor, let's wait and see if it materialises. But I know from speaking to friends who are West Ham fans, they've had a great experience at the London Stadium.

"So, if there is a new owner at West Ham, we'd be more than happy to talk. We talk really well, we get on really well with the current owners and staff, but I'm more than happy to always speak to people who run sporting events. London, in my view, is the sporting capital of the world.

"These stadiums are fantastic ways for fans getting to watch the team they love. Some stadiums, frankly speaking, the fans, whether it's the poor form of the team or the way the stadium's been built, not all fans love. But we'll speak to the new owners if there are new owners, if and when that occurs."

When asked if there is a contingency plan for the London Stadium in the event prospective new owners want to leave the London Stadium and build a new ground elsewhere, he added: “Well, at the moment, listen, we're in a contract with West Ham.

"But if there are new owners for West Ham, we'd be happy to talk to them and the current owners as well. We're always more than happy to speak to people who want to organise events at London.

"The London Stadium is a gorgeous stadium, and so, hypothetically speaking, if in the future West Ham wanted to vacate that stadium, I'm sure we'd have lots of other uses for it."

West Ham are currently 19th in the Premier League having only collected four points from a possible 27. The atmosphere became particularly fractious in the recent 2-0 home defeat to Brentford, which saw fans boo the team, jeer the owners and leave on masse before the final whistle.

Another protest is planned for after the last kick of Sunday's visit from Newcastle, with a sit-in being organised inside the ground.

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