Disqualify West Ham's OS bid, says Hearn

Orient chairman Barry Hearn has once again attempted to put a spanner in the works with regards to West Ham's plans to move to the Olympic Stadium.

Hearn, whose legal action in conjunction with Tottenham Hotspur last year was cited as one of the factors in the annulment of the previous decision to award use of the stadium to West Ham, told the BBC that he believes the club should be 'disqualified' from applying as they have failed to secure permission to bid from the Football League.

"I am 100 per cent certain that West Ham do not have the permission of the Football League - a fundamental criteria of the bid process," he said. "The Olympic Park Legacy Company [OLPC] have no choice but to disqualify them.

"We have now, through our lawyers, written to the OPLC, asking if this clause was satisfied. We believe it wasn't, and we've asked for West Ham's bid to be disqualified."

Whilst failing to secure the backing of the Football League, West Ham have secured permission from the Premier League to bid for tenancy of the Olympic Stadium - but unless the club are promoted from the Championship this season, that will be of no consequence.

"The Premier League are irrelevant because West Ham are now a Football League club," explained Hearn. "I don't think the Football League have made any ruling on this at all [and] it makes West Ham fundamentally flawed in their bid process.

"The OPLC has constantly moved the goalposts, but this is one where they've really put a noose round their own neck. If they move the goal-posts again, Leyton Orient will once again seek a judicial review against them."