Fans get shirty after West Ham drop Bobby Moore Fund from junior kits
By Laura Williamson for MailOnline
West Ham have provoked anger among fans by removing the Bobby Moore Fund from their junior replica shirts.
For the past three years the logo of the Bobby Moore Fund, which raises funds for research into bowel cancer in memory of England and West Ham's World Cup-winnng captain, has adorned the club's boys' and judi bola girls' shirts.
But the claret and blue shirts for 2011-12, priced from £29.99, now say 'Forever United' and show a logo of the Olympic Stadium. The Championship club were named as the preferred bidders for the Olympic Stadium in February.
Before and after: The old West Ham junior kit (left) and the new shirt (right), minus Bobby Moore Fund logo
Fan Ian Morgan wrote on Twitter: 'Last year they dropped the Bobby Moore Cup for (the) Sbobet Cup - disrespectful to our greatest player and a great cause.'
The club's 'formal three-year partnership' with the Bobby Moore Fund ended in July, but West Ham insist the charity will continue to play a 'prominent role' in its future.
A West Ham statement said: 'The club's status along with Newham Council as recommended preferred bidder for the Olympic Stadium will mean heightened exposure for all connected with West Ham United - namely, from a charitable perspective, the Bobby Moore Fund and the Richard House Children's Hospice in Beckton.
New home: West Ham are due to move into the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games
'In addition to vast public and media awareness, the club has generated significant funds, with supporters digging deep time and time again as well to give generously to such a worthy cause.
'BMF-branded merchandise has also made an impact with the club donating more than £34,000 in royalties, and the club and Fund will continue to liaise on commercial and marketing opportunities to the benefit of all.'