London taxpayers may have to pay an extra £2.5m if West Ham are relegated from the Premier League this season, because of the club’s lease agreement for London Stadium.
The Hammers are 18th in the table with one match remaining, and will be as good as relegated to the Championship if Tottenham – two points above them with a game in hand and a much better goal difference – draw with Chelsea on Tuesday.
Under the 99-year lease agreement, West Ham would pay the Greater London Authority about half their current annual rent of £4.4m if they are relegated.
London taxpayers, who currently contribute to stadium operating costs such as stewarding, will have to make up the funding gap.
“If West Ham are relegated, we, the taxpayers, we City Hall, could lose up to £2.5m a year,” said Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.