LOFT has welcomed the news that the Olympic Park Legacy Company has ended negotiations with West Ham over the proposed sale of the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games.
LOFT has long argued that the Olympic Stadium was unsuitable for any football club, and that remains our view. It is the right decision to retain the Olympic Stadium in public ownership as a viable athletics legacy, and it is right to open up the tender process again to allow other sports and community use a chance to rent the stadium. Football does not need another 60,000+ capacity stadium in London.
Leyton Orient's position in Leyton remains threatened however, should West Ham or Spurs end up renting the stadium. It is clear that the Football League should now disregard the Premier League's flawed rubber-stamping of the original proposal, and we call on the Football League to state clearly that Leyton Orient's interests will be considered as equally as West Ham's if the latter club - who are now, after all, a fellow Football League club - win the tender process to rent the stadium.
It is also clear that large numbers of West Ham fans are sceptical about moving, and most Spurs fans certainly are, and that many West Ham fans in favour of moving are only of that opinion to prevent Spurs moving into their 'back yard'. It's time for the football authorities and football clubs to listen and consult properly with their supporters before proposing any further ground moves.
LOFT will continue to work together with the club and the Supporters Club to ensure Leyton Orient's interests, and those of its supporters, are represented and voiced.
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