West Ham deny 'secret' payments

SOCCER:WEST HAM United have launched legal action against Tottenham Hotspur and the Sunday Timesover claims of "secret" payments to a senior Olympic Park Legacy Company executive during the bidding process for the Stratford stadium.

The club has confirmed that a senior executive at the OPLC – the body responsible for awarding the stadium to West Ham – carried out paid consultancy work on its behalf during the bidding process.

But it insisted the payments, in return for work on the procurement process for the €105 million construction contract required to convert the stadium after the 2012 games, were above board and transparent. The club believed Dionne Knight, the OPLC’s director of corporate services, had authorisation from the company to carry out the work.

The OPLC, which suspended Knight on Friday, has said she was working for West Ham without its knowledge. It also insisted there was no impact on the bidding process. Both the OPLC and West Ham are carrying out internal reviews.

Ian Tompkins, the West Ham Olympic stadium project director, has also been provisionally suspended by the club pending the outcome of its review. Tompkins and Knight are in a relationship, of which West Ham and the OPLC were aware.

The payments, reported to total €22,600, were made by West Ham because the joint bid company – 50/50 owned by the club and Newham council – did not have a bank account of its own at that point.

“Dionne Knight’s work for the Legacy Stadium Partnership (LSP) owned 50 per cent by Newham and 50 per cent by West Ham United was in relation to the procurement of a construction partner after the Olympic Games,” said West Ham.

The club added: “The suggestion of ‘secret cash’ in the Sunday Times article is absolutely and categorically denied.”

West Ham said it also planned to sue Spurs. The payments from West Ham to Knight appear to have come to light as a result of investigations undertaken by a security firm on behalf of the club.

“The LSP believed Ms Knight had authority to do the work as that was what it was informed. The fact that the work was undertaken is wholly irrelevant to the Olympic Stadium bid process and only raises issues of employment law,” said West Ham.

Spurs refused to comment.

Arsenal expect Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri to return for pre-season training at London Colney this week despite the likelihood that neither will be at the club by the time the season starts.

Fabregas, who has been on holiday in Spain, will return with the bulk of the senior squad tomorrow, with Barcelona still attempting to complete what they hope will be a €38 million transfer back to the club. A bid of around €30 million was rejected earlier in the summer, but, having received an improved offer last week, there is an acceptance at Arsenal that the long-running saga of their captain’s future is nearing a conclusion.

Nasri’s situation is arguably more complicated, with Arsenal yet to receive a concrete offer for the France international who has entered the final 12 months of his contract and has indicated he will not sign a new five-year deal worth around €100,000 a week.

The 24-year-old is aware that Manchester United are expected to formalise their interest in him, while Manchester City and Chelsea are monitoring the situation in the event that their pursuits of priority targets fall short.