UNITED STATES President Barack Obama is to make a secret visit to Upton Park to meet manager Gianfranco Zola and some of the West Ham players, the Recorder understands. The newly-elected President is in London this week for the G20 summit, and as it is be

UNITED STATES President Barack Obama is to make a secret visit to Upton Park to meet manager Gianfranco Zola and some of the West Ham players, the Recorder understands.

The newly-elected President is in London this week for the G20 summit, and as it is being held just up the road at the ExCel Centre in Docklands, he has decided to take time out from the world's economic woes to visit the Green Street club.

President Obama's allegiance to the Hammers became public knowledge during his election campaign, when it was revealed that he had relations in Kent who supported the East end club.

On a visit to his half-sister Auma back in 2003, Obama actually attended a game at Upton Park.

On his election as Pres-ident, West Ham invited him to pay the club a visit on his next trip to Britain and it appears that he will take up that offer this week.

A West Ham insider told the Recorder: "We have all been told that the President is coming and some of his enormous bodyguards have been down to look around the stadium for security purposes.

"We have all been sworn to secrecy, but this sort of thing always gets out, and we are not sure exactly when he is going to arrive anyway. We've been told to keep the kettle on just in case."

The President will be shown round the stadium by US international Jonathan Spe-ctor, who, like Obama, hails from Chicago.

He will also be shown around the club shop, although in the current economic climate, he will apparently only be offered a 10 per cent discount on anything he wishes to purchase.