West Ham United have been advised by London Stadium operators to keep club co-owner David Sullivan away from home fixtures, following a joint investigation by BBC Panorama and The Times that alleged seven women have accused him of sexually exploitative and predatory conduct. Sullivan has firmly denied the allegations.
The recommendation comes just before West Ham's first home match of the new season, a Carabao Cup tie against Portsmouth on Saturday, after their relegation from the Premier League in May. According to a spokesperson for London Stadium, the publicly owned venue's operator sought additional information after media coverage emerged at the end of last season concerning a safeguarding issue being handled internally by the club.
The stadium operator said West Ham had informed them that the matter had been investigated and that the club did not view Sullivan's presence as posing an ongoing safeguarding risk. Despite this assurance, London Stadium said it still recommended Sullivan stay away from matches, citing concerns over the "potential for demonstrations and anti-social behaviour by some spectators."
The BBC-Times investigation further disclosed that Sullivan has been barred from any contact with West Ham's women's and youth teams for a period of three years due to safeguarding concerns. Notably, London Stadium said it had not been aware of these restrictions until the investigation was made public. The restriction reportedly stemmed from a historical allegation raised with the Football Association in 2023.
Sullivan has previously stated that the underlying allegation was false. He noted that during his 16 years associated with the club, he had never met any academy or women's team players on a