Well, here’s something I never thought I’d write…
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged Londoners to support West Ham United.
That’s right — the former arch-nemesis of Karren Brady, who for years seemed to have it in for the Hammers, has now appealed to his constituents to get behind the club.
Why?
Because they’ll apparently be skint if we go down.
Mayor Makes Remarkable West Ham Appeal
Speaking yesterday, Khan said: “If West Ham are relegated, we, the taxpayers, we City Hall, could lose up to £2.5m each year. So what I say to Londoners who don’t support Spurs is you should probably be cheering on West Ham, because the taxpayer will lose out if West Ham go down.”
Ordinarily, advising people not to support Tottenham Hotspur is already wise and sensible advice. And to be fair, he’s not really telling Spurs to follow West Ham, but I’m sure more than a few in North London won’t take kindly to the advice.
London Stadium Costs Continue To Rise
The London Assembly is reportedly losing somewhere in the region of £20m per season on the London Stadium — and that’s with West Ham paying Premier League-level rent.
However, the stadium agreement is structured so that if the Hammers are relegated, the club would pay significantly less.
For obvious reasons, there’s very little appetite inside the Mayor’s office to pour even more taxpayer money into subsidising West Ham.
Which explains Khan’s very public plea.
Unlikely To See Claret And Blue Tube Trains
Personally, I’m not entirely sure how much good the Mayor’s comments will actually do.
And I somehow doubt we’ll suddenly see TfL buses and Tube trains decked out in claret and blue any time soon.
Still, after years of friction between City Hall and West Ham, it is at least slightly refreshing to see the Mayor on our side for a change.