West Ham in negotiations to use 2012 Olympic Stadium

It now appears English West Ham has a chance to move into the London 2012 Olympic Stadium.

Sports Minister Richard Caborn said the negotiations have become very "serious." Club chairman Terry Brown and senior Olympic figures were meeting about the stadium.

"There is a very serious negotiation going on between West Ham and the Olympic authorities about the stadium," Caborn said. "Talks are going on about whether they could do a similar thing to Manchester City when they took over the Commonwealth Games stadium in 2002."

West Ham also has been involved in takeover talks. One group, led by London-based Iranian businessman Kia Joorabchian, and another, fronted by UEFA executive committee member Eggert Magnusson, have expressed interest.

Both consortiums are believed to be in favour of the move to the 2012 stadium.

Still, the current revelation of negotiations shows another backtrack by officials.

In October 2004, before London was even awarded the Olympics, mayor Ken Livingstone said West Ham would not get the stadium, and it would be scaled down to a 25,000-seat athletics facility.

In March 2006, Livingstone reiterated that the stadium would not be used for football, saying that was part of the contract.

But in April, Olympics organising committee chairman Lord Sebastian Coe said all possibilities for future use still were open.

"We have never ruled out a Premiership club but we have always made it very clear that a legacy for track and field is a serious part of the Olympics in London," Coe said at the time.

The running track already eliminated Tottenham from wanting to settle in the stadium, leaving West Ham as the only club likely to make a move.

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.