Leyton Orient threaten legal action

[Cricko]

Leyton Orient have threatened to sue the Premier League for tens of millions of pounds in damages if they do not reconsider their decision to allow West Ham to move to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford.

Orient believe that if West Ham move to the stadium, which is within a mile of their Brisbane Road home, then they will lose up to £1.5million a year.

Chairman Barry Hearn has repeatedly expressed his frustration and anger at how Orient have been treated and now the club have issued a nine-page document outlining their argument to Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore.

Orient, who travel to the Emirates to face Arsenal in an FA Cup fifth-round replay tonight, argue that the Premier League have undermined their own rules by giving West Ham the green light to move after London 2012.

In the Premier League rules section 6.5 of rule 1 states that a club may only move location provided the move ‘would not adversely affect clubs having their registered grounds in the immediate vicinity of the proposed location’.

The club have threatened High Court action if the decision is not either reversed or better explained by March 8.

The main concern for Orient's board is that West Ham's plan to sell tickets at drastically low prices will lure fans away from Brisbane Road and seriously jeopardise the long-term future of the club.

The League One club are represented by top sports law firm Mishcon de Reya and have already written to London Mayor Boris Johnson, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Eric Pickles, the secretary of state for Communities and Local Government in search of support for their case.

A 10-page document was sent last Friday, with copies also going to West Ham and to the Olympic Park Legacy Company. Now, Orient have turned their sights on the Premier League.

The club are confident they have a strong case


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/ol...l-action-West-Ham-move.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

 

[MK Shrimper]

Best of luck to them, but they won't win. Premiership clubs can do what the **** they please and the rest of the leagues might as well not exist.

Besides, Forest and Notts County are in spitting distance.......

 

[BLUEBLOOD]

Obviously i hate the Ooze but i hate the Spammers so much more, Good luck Orient !!!*




* - eughh i feel dirty having typed that !!!

 

[number11]

I hope they succeed for as much as they are our rivals, as a fellow 'small club' we should not want to see them stitched up.

I note the wording of the clause in your post ‘would not adversely affect clubs having their registered grounds in the immediate vicinity of the proposed location’. If these are Premiership rules, I wonder if their jurisdiction actually covers Orient or whether their intention for 'clubs' is only to cover Premiership clubs.....not like it would be a surprise if Premiership only looked out for their own..........

 

[EastStandBlue]

Best of luck to them, but they won't win. Premiership clubs can do what the **** they please and the rest of the leagues might as well not exist.

Besides, Forest and Notts County are in spitting distance.......

The point being that they've been that close for yonks, and West Ham are moving into "Orient territory".

You have to think that, by the EPL rules, Orient have actually got a pretty strong case here. By competing in the competition, West Ham would have to adhere to the rules clarified by the EPL and moving to a stadium in direct vicinity of another club is a severe breach. The EPL will want to keep this out of the Court of Arbitration for Sport...

 

[Beefy]

Orient moved there in the first place! They chose to position themselves three doors down from West Ham. If West Ham then move a door closer then i don't see how Orient can complain.

Orient are in West Ham's shadow no matter what. Any kid growing up around that way has a big Premier League club half an hours walk away. I don't see how West Ham moving fractionally closer is going to make any difference. The problem is already there. Orient should count their lucky stars that it isn't Spurs moving in because then they'd have two big Premier League clubs to worry about.