LEAD: Man arrested amid Spurs Olympic Stadium spy controversy

Nov 8, 2011, 14:42 GMT

London - Metropolitan Police confirmed on Tuesday that a man has been arrested in connection with allegations that Tottenham Hotspur spied on members of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC).

Baroness Ford, chairman of the OPLC, which is in charge of ensuring the Olympic Stadium remains viable after next summer's Games, made the claims in a speech to the London Assembly.

'The thing that I have learned in the last 12 months is that there has been all kinds of behaviour,' she said.

'There has been legal challenges and people have stood behind it anonymously - all kinds of things have happened.'

The OPLC initially passed a plan for West Ham United to move in to the stadium, but that fell through after legal action from Tottenham and Leyton Orient and an anonymous complaint to the European Commission as to whether the deal the club had struck with Newham Council breached regulations on the use of public money.

It was known that the OPLC had been irritated at having had to take the step, but Tuesday's accusations went far further.

'My board were put under surveillance by Tottenham Hotspur and the chairman of Tottenham Hotspur felt confident enough to say that in the Sunday Times several months ago that all 14 members of my board were put under surveillance,' said Ford.

'The Metropolitan police are now conducting an investigation into that surveillance. There has been all kinds of behaviour here that I could not have anticipated which, believe me, has not been pleasant in the last 12 months.'

The police confirmed investigations were ongoing and said a 29-year-old man had been arrested in Sussex in connection with those inquiries.

Tottenham denied the claims.

'The club did not undertake, instruct or engage any party to conduct surveillance on any member of the OPLC committee and we consider the making of this baseless accusation to be wholly inappropriate and irresponsible. We totally reject the accusation in the strongest possible terms,' it said in a statement.

Read more about Olympics

Read more about Tottenham