West Ham meets the Olympic Committee

The likelihood of English West Ham playing in the London Olympic Stadium was the topic of discussion when Eggert Magnusson, new owner of West Ham, met with representatives of the 2012 Olympic Committee.

Magnusson, an Icelandic businessman, summarized his plan to turn the club into UEFA Champions League competitors and the possibility of a future ground move.

Magnusson held talks with Olympic minister Tessa Jowell, London mayor Ken Livingstone and other senior 2012 Olympic Committee figures at the House of Commons to look at the possibility of West Ham moving into the prospective new site after the games.

Magnusson was told that a final decision would be made by the Olympic Board in January, and besides contributing GBP 100 million towards renovations that would be made after the games, the Premier League would have to guarantee that the stadium would host major athletic events.

"It was a very useful meeting and we fully take on board the points made by the secretary of state and will look at all the options to move forward," said a spokesman for Magnusson.

A spokesperson for Jowell said that the organisers are waiting to see if Magnusson will take this opportunity.

"It was a constructive meeting. The secretary of state said that the board was close to final decisions about future use for the stadium but underlined three key principles which had to be met," said a spokesperson for Jowell.

"As promised to the IOC during the bid, there would be a 25,000-seat athletics legacy at the Olympic Stadium and football would have to work alongside that. The stadium would also need to be available for different community groups post-Games, and Mr. Magnusson was told the timetable for decisions was very tight.

"It was agreed that the ball was in West Ham's court. They would reflect on the discussion and decide how they wished to proceed."

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