West Ham have been exaggerating their attendances by as much as 12,000 spectators, new figures have revealed.
A study by the BBC of all 20 Premier League clubs during the 2017-18 season found huge discrepancies in the attendances released by the club and those recorded by Newham council.
The London club are not the only ones to release inaccurate crowds, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham all found to have overstated official attendances.
Premier League clubs have been exaggerating their attendances by as much as 12,000 spectators, new figures have revealed.
A study by the BBC of all 20 top-flight sides during the 2017-18 season found huge discrepancies in the attendances released by the clubs and those recorded by local authorities and police.
West Ham topped a list of clubs who have released misleading numbers, but they are not the only ones, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham all found to have overstated official attendances.
Figures divulged by Newham council following a Freedom of Information request by the BBC revealed that, across the 12 matches they attended at the London Stadium last term, an average crowd of 42,779 was recorded.
That number falls some way short of the figure released by the Hammers, who announced an average of 55,309 spectators throughout the campaign.
In one game alone, against West Brom on January 2, 17,523 fans were added. The club announced the official attendance of 56,888, however figures from the council revealed only 39,365 people had turned up.
While West Ham endured a difficult season on the pitch, the empty seats at the home of the champions are perhaps a little more difficult to explain.
According to Greater Manchester Police, who also worked on figures from 12 matches, the average attendance at the Etihad was 7,482 lower than the number given out by Manchester City.
Elsewhere, Hampshire Police say Southampton exaggerated their crowds by 4,246 on average, while Tottenham added an extra 3,740 on average to their Wembley attendances according to Brent Council.
Hammersmith and Fulham council revealed Chelsea to be supplementing their support by 3,505, while Hertfordshire Police said Watford were adding 2,602.
A lot of made last season of the empty seats at the Emirates in Arsene Wenger's last season in charge, with the Arsenal Supporters' Trust reckoning that the average attendance was around 46,000, as opposed to the figure of 57,054 released by the club.
However, the club have disputed this figure and FOI requests made by the BBC were unable to confirm the Trust's position.
The difference in numbers mostly come from the decision from clubs to release the numbers of tickets sold, including all season tickets and complimentary tickets, as opposed to the number of bodies through the turnstyles.
The Football Supporters' Federation believes this is masking a problem with the effect of the growing number of TV matches.
A spokesperson told the BBC: 'Quite often clubs or the authorities will refer to "occupancy rates" in their arguments.
'But they are often misleading according to the BBC's research and don't highlight how many fans stay away when matches are rescheduled for TV.
'If clubs know the actual number of fans through the turnstile, rather than the number of tickets sold or given away, then there's no reason they shouldn't publish that figure.'
happylife
56
People haven't got the money for your overpriced tickets , buy the time you have put food and transport into the equation is it any wonder people are staying away , the bottom team in the relegation battle is even given millions , plus sky money , bt , and now Amazon , your basically all robbing the public
Ledontow
50
West Ham will not be in that stadium in another decade. Gold, Sullivan and Brady will leave that club high and dry. Arsenal not responding is no surprise at all. They would be far worse than any club. However, ticket prices are a problem and football fans need to stick together and protest as one to get them lowered.
Cristiankish
46
They all fiddle the figures. Don't know why DM have picked these particular clubs but would say that the Newham Council stats are almost certainly wrong because whilst there may well be only about 42,000 in the stadium by the end, whenever we watch Match of the Day and West Ham are at home it looks pretty sold out. And if DM want to start calling out clubs then the worst offenders have to be Arsenal. After the Carabao Cup final defeat to Man City the very next game at the Emirates was given an official attendance of over 59,000 when it was blatantly clear that there were barely 35,000 who turned up because they count tickets sold, not people in the ground. Funnily enough, back in the day, it used to be the other way around. Clubs would under estimate the attendance on purpose because it was pay on the gate and the money was taxable income so the fewer official fans in attendance, the less tax to pay!
tallesti
35
It's a constant source of embarrassment to City and their fans that despite having the best manager , best players and the Premier League title they cannot fill a moderately sized stadium no matter who they play unless it is of course a game against Manchester United. Forever in our shadow. Oh for the days when Peter Swales used to under state the actual attendances so he could trouser the cash. Look what you have become.
Bromenshenkel
26
The thing is with West Ham , they have never really claimed to be a big club and it is understandable that they would struggle to get above 42000 at home. With Tottenham and Man City, they do claim to be big clubs. It is know Man City have never filled the Etihad , but if the Spuds are having to exaggerate then it brings into question the building of the new ground.