West Ham clear key hurdles but row over colour of pitch perimeter rumbles on

Off colour: how Standard Sport first broke news of the dispute
Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Ken Dyer16 August 2018

West Ham have emerged victorious in four legal disputes with their London Stadium landlords but they could still lose out in their efforts to change the colour of a new pitch surrounds to claret.

The club and the LLDC have been in legal dispute over details of their tenancy agreement involving the pitch surround; the provision of draught beer at the stadium; the on-site televisions being allowed to show live sports; and the provision of adequate hosting staff in hospitality suites.

The club took legal proceedings over what they considered to be a failure by the LLDC to provide services comparable with other Premier League clubs of a similar size in London.

The surround, which is currently green, was deemed unsuitable and will be changed at LLDC’s cost — but will not necessarily be changed to claret.

An LLDC spokesman 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.”

West Ham feel the pitch surround, if coloured a darker shade of blue, would be seen as too close to the colours of their rivals Tottenham. The dispute over the pitch surround is just one example of a deteriorating relationship between the stadium landlords and the club.

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