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The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) has denied they are refusing to co-operate with a ruling in which the outcome was they had to change the astroturf pitch surround at the London Stadium as the current one is unsafe.

Despite what LLDC have told football.london, it's our understanding that an expert determination [the ruling] was comfortably won by West Ham, who were awarded legal costs as a result, as the green cover used since 2016 was found to be in breach of the infamous concession agreement and that the surround needs to be a different colour.

As per the agreement and now the ruling, the surround has to be changed yet the old one is currently being installed ahead of the new Premier League season and breaching the contract.

News emerged on Wednesday night via West Ham news website Claret & Hugh that London Stadium owners E20 had lost the determination after the current green surround was deemed a hazard. Former Hammers midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate and Manchester United defender Phil Jones both tripped on the surrounding last season.

The surrounding covers up the area where the London Stadium running track is when the arena is in football mode for the 25 days of use West Ham have in the concession agreement, the contract signed by the club back in 2013 ahead of the move to the London Stadium which has caused no end of issues ever since.

The stadium is currently being converted to football mode after a summer of athletics meetings in Stratford and the old green astroturf is being put back in but LLDC have told football.london that it will be replaced by a new one.

The Hammers have said previously they would pay for a claret surround to be put in the stadium but it was rejected by owners E20 as it wouldn't fit their commercial branding, which is dark blue. That move would have saved the taxpayer £400,000 every summer when it is ripped up and the club are willing to compromise on certain areas of what needs to be laid down.

However, LLDC have again rejected the idea, much like they refused to take advice from the club on naming rights for the arena and a deal with Vodafone eventually fell through.

football.london asked LLDC why they were refusing to co-operate with the result of the expert determination, which is when two parties who can't agree on parts of a contract get an external body to assess it and make a decision, and the Corporation flat out denied they were getting in the way.

A statement from a spokesperson for the LLDC told us: "No, it's not true. We are complying with the expert determination and are assessing the different options and intend to place an order shortly.

"Our priority is that London Stadium continues to be a great multi-use stadium that operates on a firm financial footing. That means we must protect our commercial rights which involve procuring the best deal for all our assets such as the sponsorship potential of the pitch surround.

"We will continue talking to West Ham United on what additional features they want from the stadium and what they are prepared to pay us in return."

(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

football.london understands the new surround will not be in place for the first home game against Bournemouth on August 18 but it could well be for the game against Wolves on September 1.

This is the latest episode in a number of spats the club and parties connected with the stadium have got embroiled in since the club moved into Stratford in the summer of 2016, with arguments ranging from the capacity of the arena to who provides the Sky Sports subscription at the ground.

The concession agreement signed between the two parties, also known as "the deal of the century," allows West Ham to rent the Stadiium for £2.5m a year for the next 97 years but it has caused no end of issues between the two parties.

The Hammers continually seek dialogue with LLDC and are determined to make the former Olympic Stadium feel like home but the latest argument between the two threatens to carry on the strained relationship between the two sides.

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