West Ham co-owner Sullivan advised to stay away from home matches
London Stadium recommends West Ham's co-owner stay away amid fears of fan unrest following sexual misconduct claims.
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has been advised to refrain from attending the club's home matches following a BBC Panorama and Times investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him. A London Stadium spokesperson informed BBC News that the club has requested Sullivan to not attend matches due to concerns about fan unrest and potential demonstrations.
Despite the recommendation, West Ham anticipates Sullivan's presence at home games. The investigation found that seven women accused Sullivan of sexually exploitative and predatory behavior, which he vehemently denies. Sullivan stepped down as joint chairman of the club prior to the investigation airing, claiming he wished to focus on disproving the "factually incorrect and entirely false" accusations against him.
He retains the status of the club's largest shareholder. Sullivan was also barred from interacting with West Ham's women's and youth teams for three years due to safeguarding concerns, but the club was unaware of these restrictions until the BBC's report. The ban stemmed from a historic allegation of misconduct raised with the Football Association in 2023, which Sullivan claimed was false.
West Ham, relegated from the Premier League in May, is set to play its first home game of the new season against Portsmouth on Saturday.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Sport Football's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
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