Feature

West Ham in dispute over London Stadium perimeter colour

English Premier League football club West Ham United is seeking to change the colour of the material around the playing surface at its London Stadium home over concerns it is too close to the navy blue of rival Tottenham Hotspur.

The venue had been using a green material to cover the athletics track that runs around the pitch, but West Ham has successfully lobbied for this to be changed as it is too similar to the colour of the playing surface.

West Ham is seeking to switch the colour to its famous claret and blue and has offered to foot the bill of £200,000 (€223,600/$254,300) in an effort to sweeten the deal.

However, The Times reports that landlord the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) is keen to use a darker blue to remain in line with the stadium’s branding.

The newspaper also understands the perimeter colour is one of four cases that the club has won against the landlord, with the others referring to who pays the costs for draught beer, televisions and hospitality staff among other amenities.

All cases were referred to an independent senior legal figure via an “expert determination” process.

The colour debate has been going on for some time now after Slaven Bilic, the former manager of West Ham, last season suggested the green colour made his players run less during matches.

In a statement, the LLDC said: “We are complying with all of the decisions made through the expert determination process, including supplying a pitch surround in a contrasting colour, and continue to discuss the solutions with West Ham United.

“We have begun the procurement process for the new pitch surround which will be in place within the next few weeks.

“We are not going to comment on private negotiations, however, we wish to protect our commercial rights which involve securing the best deal for all our assets such as the sponsorship potential of the pitch surround.

“The safety and security of fans, players, officials and staff at the London Stadium is our priority.”

Image: Hammersfan