Spurs legend Jimmy Greaves has leant support to Tottenham Hotspur's plans to convert the future London olympic stadium into a football arena after the 2012 Olympic Games in a recent interview with the BBC's Dan Roan.
On Friday, the club and East London rivals West Ham United submitted their final proposals to take over the 80,000-seater stadium currently being constructed in Stratford and there has been fierce discussion in the British press as to the merits of each bid.
While the intention of Spurs, a club excelling in the Premier and Champions leagues this season, is to replace the stadium with an all-purpose multi-sports arena holding 60,000 fans and simultaneously redevelop Crystal Palace - the traditional home of UK Athletics - West Ham have promised to combine athletics and football in the same venue.
On the side of The Hammers are IOC Chairman Jacques Rogge, UK Athletics Chairman Ed Warner and many decorated British athletes who feel that the sport would be undermined and the future of British athletics compromised were Tottenham chosen to take the project on.
In favour of the North London club's more ambitious and potentially lucrative plans are Sir Keith Mills, deputy chairman of LOCOG and non-executive director of the club's bid, as well as Pele and Greaves.
Spurs, despite having to counter fiercer levels of opposition in the press, have the distinct advantage if a guaranteed Premier League future and the important support of AEG, the driving force behind the success of the O2.
A decision will be made on Friday 28 January and Greaves has explained that the stadium will attract very few fans for athletics in the future: ''to have it as an athletics stadium is a total white elephant...[we need to] turn it into a football stadium and one that's working every week''.
This is a potentially very important decision for all parties concerned and also for London as a major worldwide sports venue and, unfortunately for athletics, the decision makers must realise that football is the future and finance and long-term profitability should be preferred to a romantic dream which could soon turn into a financial nightmare.
Spurs 1-0 West Ham.
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