Exclusive – Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn warns West Ham over Olympic Stadium announcement

Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn has warned West Ham that the battle for the Olympic Stadium is not over.

The Hammers were confirmed as the new tenants of the Olympic Stadium on Friday after the government agreed to contribute a further £25million towards converting the Stratford venue.

But Hearn, who is adamant League One outfit Orient should be awarded joint tenancy, insists any celebrations are premature as he has not given up hope of winning a judicial review into the bidding process.

“I don’t know why they are announcing anything because we have applied to the High Court for a judicial review of the bidding process so anything they announce about West Ham has to be subject to the High Court's decision,” said the 64-year-old, speaking on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast.

“Why they are trying to steamroll this announcement through today, prior to the court's decision, to me is a sign of panic. I don’t know why they are doing it.

“We don’t think we have been given a fair crack of the whip. We have had no opportunity to discuss ground-sharing with West Ham, which we think is the only logical way out. What harm do we do? We get a chance to survive.

“It's far better looking after clubs like Leyton Orient than the taxpayer of this country subsidising West Ham, a commercial entity with a £100million of income coming in through TV rights, etc. Why are we bending over backwards for West Ham and not bending over even a little bit for Leyton Orient?”