By VINCE MADURI
West Ham has agreed to a 99 year deal to become the primary tenants of Olympic Stadium, ending long marathon negotiations between the London Legacy Development Corporation and the club.
The deal gives the Hammers the right to use the facility for all home games for the next century but will not own property interest in the stadium. If the club sells for a profit in the future, taxpayers will receive a cut of the revenue earned.
“One of the things that has been agreed are arrangements that would protect the public sector should a sale of the club generate significant profit,” a senior source to the Guardian said.
West Ham had been announced as the preferred bidder in December of last year.
HODGSON TO ‘WAIT AND SEE’ REGARDING RIO FERDINAND’S NATIONAL TEAM FUTURE
In the wake of Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand declining his recent call-up to the English National Team, then heading to Qatar for a media engagement, Roy Hodgson has cast doubt over the central defenders future with the team.
“We should just wait and see,” the manager said when asked about Ferdinand’s chances of being part of England’s future plans.
Regarding Hodgson’s thoughts on the defenders trip to Qatar, the manager had little input.
“I don’t have any serious thoughts on it. The fact is I was disappointed when he couldn’t accept our invitation.
“What he actually does now and how he operates in the coming couple of weeks, that’s his business and his club’s business. I’m only interested in the players I’ve got here. That’s where I prefer to have my focus.”
Ferdinand had been invited to the English camp for the first time since 2011 but declined citing his desire to not disrupt a pre-planned fitness program.
GREG DYKE TO SUCCEED DAVID BERNSTEIN AS FA CHAIRMAN
The FA unanimously approved the nomination of Greg Dyke to succeed David Bernstein as FA chairman.
Dyke was a director with Manchester United until the late 1990’s and has been a non-executive chairman at Brentford since 2006.
“I am very excited to take on this role with the FA,” Dyke said in a statement. “At the grass roots seven million people play football every weekend, women’s football is booming and the ambition is for it to be the second-biggest team participation sport in England behind only the men’s game, we have the best known, most successful league in the world with the Premier League and the Football League is so much stronger than it was eight years or nine ago.
“Having said that I am a big supporter of financial fair play which, in both the Premier League and the Football League, will have a big impact and hopefully bring a degree of financial sanity to the professional game.
“I do see one of the most important tasks for the FA is, over time, to make thoughtful changes which will benefit the England team.
“The FA have made a great start by rebuilding Wembley and developing great facilities at St George’s Park but it is essential that the FA finds a way to ensure that more talented young English footballers are given their chance in the professional game at the highest level.”
The 65 year old will succeed the current chairman in July. Bernstein has been in the position for two and a half years on July 13.