Barry Hearn accuses West Ham owners over ‘disgrace’ London Stadium deal in Sun book serialisation
Boxing promoter Barry Hearn has detailed his opposition to the “disgrace” deal the West Ham got on the London Stadium after the 2012 Olympics.
The 73-year-old has railed against the agreement that club owners David Gold and David Sullivan secured that saw the club pay £15million, plus £2.5million-per-year rent, to move in but not be responsible for stewarding or upkeep.
The Hammers are currently implementing a change to the seating arrangement that is proving unpopular with fans who are being moved far from their original position.
In his autobiography, serialised in The Sun, Hearn writes: “The final deal over the Olympic Stadium was a disgrace and should never have been sanctioned.
“Put simply, West Ham were allowed to sell their own ground to developers and keep the proceeds.”
“It was the deal of the century and my dog could have struck a better one [for tax payers].
“I told Boris Johnson, then London Mayor, it was a terrible deal for the taxpayer.
“We tried everything we could to block West Ham but we failed. It cost me over £1million in legal fees.
“Despite everything, I bear no malice towards West Ham.
“Part of me wants to congratulate the shrewd Sullivan, Gold and vice-chair Karren Brady; another part of me thinks all of us, as taxpayers, have been royally ripped off.”
Fury
It wasn’t just opponents of the original deal that were outraged at the situation, as the club’s fans staged angry protests for months.
Hearn’s book is being serialised just at the point where the stadium has arguably become what the owners claimed it would be when the team was dragged away from the Boleyn Ground with supporters kicking and screaming in its wake.
Any way you look at it the cost agreements seem pretty outrageous from the point of view of tax payers.
And while it may be used a stick to beat the club with, it was visibly evident that a large proportion of Irons fans didn’t want it either.
While Covid-19 lockdown shielded the owners from continued fan protests, they re-appointed David Moyes after jettisoning him once, and his work has brought success on the pitch.
That has led to memorable European occasions this season and the ground has started to have build a legacy.
But it certainly looks like the Sullivan and Gold have benefited the most from such a favourable deal, as Hearn points out, thanks to the massive increase in value of the club making the recent sale to new part-owner Daniel Kretinsky extremely profitable for them.
Fans may see the benefit if it translates into signings, but that is a sore point in itself this season, while rivals and neutrals won’t see much to celebrate at all.
In other West Ham news, the club have surely lost their number one transfer target after a recent Athletic report.
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