Overview
- West Ham sits 18th before the final round, with Tottenham holding 17th and visiting Chelsea on Tuesday in a match that could leave the Hammers needing a late swing to survive.
- Sadiq Khan told the BBC that Londoners should root for West Ham because taxpayers would lose money if the club goes down.
- The London Stadium deal sets annual rent at about £4.4 million, and it drops by half if the club is relegated under the 99-year agreement.
- Khan’s office estimates an extra public burden of roughly £2.5 million, as taxpayers already fund stadium operations and more lower-league home games would add staffing and event costs.
- The mayor blamed a 2012 arrangement made under Boris Johnson, which moved West Ham from the Boleyn Ground to the Olympic venue, a deal long criticized as overly generous to the club and costly for the public.