Millwall FC has been told by a Lewisham mayoral candidate the club will not be moved out of its stadium because nowhere else would want them.

The Lewisham-based football club had been seeking clarity on whether they can remain at their stadium by writing to Lewisham's mayoral candidates, ahead of the election in May 2018.

Most of the candidates supported Millwall and said they would oppose future plans to sell land surrounding their stadium, but Labour Councillor Paul Maslin said the club would be the subject of “rigorous” opposition from wherever they tried to move.

He said: “The notion that the prospect of the arrival of an organisation that revels in its motto, ‘No one likes us and we don’t care’, would be greeted with enthusiasm by its prospective new neighbours, is probably excessively optimistic.

“The club could well find itself the focus of a rigorous grassroots campaign to keep it out, which would, of course, be rather ironic.”

The club’s concerns stem from the controversy around plans to redevelop the New Bermondsey area and a Compulsory Purchase Order on the land surrounding The Den.

Millwall had said that they could be forced to relocate if Lewisham Council push the redevelopment plans through.

Lewisham Council has stated that the proposed CPO cannot proceed and a fresh CPO proposal would be required if the council was to continue with its previous plans.

With the upcoming Lewisham mayoral election in May 2018, Millwall wrote an open letter, signed by chief executive Steve Kavanagh, to the five candidates with questions on their views on the regeneration project.

These questions related to whether the candidates would support a new CPO and the sale of the Millwall land and whether they understand Millwall may not remain in Lewisham as a result.

Councillors Alan Hall, Brenda Dacres and Paul Bell have all expressed clear support for Millwall’s position and firm opposition to the use of another CPO.

On the other hand, Cllr Maslin held a firm stance that he would support a new CPO on land surrounding the stadium, but not the stadium itself.

He also challenged the claim from Millwall FC that they would have to move home if such plans went ahead, saying nobody would spend “millions of pounds” to build a new stadium for the club.

Cllr Maslin said: “The claim that the New Bermondsey scheme is so injurious to the Club’s interest that its delivery would necessitate its departure from Lewisham, seems implausible to me once subjected to the most cursory examination.

“I think it’s reasonable to assume that the cost of a new build stadium for Millwall would run into the 100s of millions of pounds. When I last checked at Companies House, Millwall’s last filed accounts recorded a loss of around £7 million.

“I don’t think anyone is suggesting that Millwall’s recent promotion will ensure that it becomes a profitable operation.

“It’s consequently hard to swallow the claim that someone is willing to spend possibly more than £200 million so that an organisation can lose millions of pounds every year in a different geographical location.”