London Stadium bosses want to relax seating restrictions for boxing in a bid to rival Wembley for mega fights and offset losses caused by anchor tenant West Ham’s relegation to the Championship.

The stadium costs the taxpayer £19m a year after rent was halved following West Ham’s relegation, while stewarding costs have risen because of the increase in home matches in the second tier.

The east London club secured what was described as the deal of the century when David Gold, David Sullivan and Karren Brady, then in charge, agreed a 99-year lease to move into a stadium that cost the public purse £701m, with a one-off payment of £15m and £2.5m per year in rent. The agreement has remained a constant drain on taxpayers since it began in 2016.

Last summer, the London Stadium hosted major concerts – including Take That over three nights and Metallica for two – and charity match Soccer Aid to boost revenue, but that income was swallowed up by the losses incurred by West Ham’s relegation. 

Under the current terms, sporting events are restricted to 60,000 capacity, but GLA-owned operator LS185 wants to recategorise boxing as a unique event that is permitted the 85,000 capacity of entertainment shows.

Boxing is a massive revenue generator. Anthony Joshua’s long-awaited fight against Tyson Fury at Cardiff’s 80,000-seater Principality Stadium in December is expected to make in excess of £20m. Fury’s fight with Dillian Whyte in front of a 94,000-strong Wembley crowd in 2022 made over £11m.

Increasing the capacity for fights is expected to make the London Stadium a more attractive proposition for boxing promoters.

West Ham are aiming for promotion straight back to the Premier League, but competition is fierce among clubs who have recently been in the top flight, meaning the taxpayer burden could remain higher for years to come.

Wimbledon fans quiz FA over new investors

AFC Wimbledon fans are among the most sceptical in football – and with good reason, given the previous incarnation of their club was moved to a city 60 miles away and renamed. 

After setting up a new side a quarter of a century ago, owned by fans to avoid a repeat, concern was inevitable at a recent meeting when new investors – including former Chelsea defender Ryan Bertrand and agent Oliver Ward – were revealed.

Licensed agents are not permitted to own a beneficial interest in a club and fans were told that Ward will leave his firm, FA Sport, if the investment deal is voted through by fan-owners, who would still retain a 50.01 per cent controlling stake in the club. 

But wary AFC Wimbledon fan-owners have written to the Football Association to seek assurances that Ward’s involvement in the deal will not allow him to use the League One club as a vehicle for players from his agency.

Under the terms of the offer, Sloane Street Capital will pay £16m for a 34 per cent share, with a pledge to invest a further £71m across the next five seasons. Tech entrepreneur Omar Mir owns 95 per cent of SSC, while Ward, Bertrand, Stuart Fiertz and Hugh Rosen each own 1.25 per cent.

Hewitt criticises Fifa while picking up £187k

Eyebrows have been raised in football at FA chair Debbie Hewitt’s decision to keep accepting substantial payment for serving on the Fifa Council while continuing to criticise the organisation.

Hewitt has been a vocal critic of Gianni Infantino and Fifa’s leadership, saying he was “not fit to be Fifa president” if he continued to evade questions about his plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors and the decision to overturn Folarin Balogun’s World Cup red card following a call from US president Donald Trump.

Key figures in the game have, however, discussed the duality of Hewitt earning around £187,000 per year and paid expenses, including business-class flights for meetings, as an elected vice-president on the Fifa council.

UK fans lead charge for Cricket World Cup tickets

Demand from UK fans for tickets at next year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is outstripping South Africa – one of the hosts alongside Zimbabwe and Namibia – and cricket-mad India.

The ICC has received more than 15m ticket applications since the ballot opened at the start of October, and the UK is currently the biggest market. 

Ticket sales had started slowly, but ramped up from 1m applications to 15m in the space of seven days midway through October.

Manchester United head chef cuts ties

Manchester United’s head chef Stuart Burt is leaving the club after less than a year in the role. 

The club has undergone widespread changes, including hundreds of staff cuts, since Sir Jim Ratcliffe became a minority owner in 2024, buying a 27.7 per cent stake for £1.25bn and taking control of football operations.

Burt, who has been a head chef at Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City’s academy, only joined Manchester United in January. Announcing his departure on LinkedIn, he wrote: “This is not a negative at all, the ways are just not for me and didn’t make me happy in my role.”

Having said that, Manchester United could be accused of having too many cooks…