If West Ham or Spurs move to the Olympic Stadium O’s believe they would be fighting for their life

Leyton Orient fear they could go out of business if West Ham or Tottenham gain control of the nearby Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games.

While the two Premier League sides are battling to be named as the prefered bidder, Orient insist they are fighting for their very survival.

“One of the most important decisions in the 130-year history of Leyton Orient Football Club may be made next week - and it is a decision over which the Club has no control,” said the club in a statement.

“The decision of the Olympic Park Legacy Company to award the use of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium in legacy to either West Ham United or Tottenham Hotspur will have grave implications on the future of London’s second-oldest Football League Club and threaten our proud traditions as a community-based Club.

“The impact on Leyton Orient will be huge. A huge question mark hangs over our long-term viability at Brisbane Road with the move of another professional football club to within a mile of what has been our home since 1937.

“It is tragic to think that the true legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games could be the death of one of football’s most-established community Clubs. Is that something those in the corridors of power are prepared to shoulder the responsibility for?

“The Club has appealed to the Premier League and the Football League, both of whom would be in breach of their own regulations if they were to sanction a move for either West Ham United or Tottenham Hotspur, but the silence is deafening.”