London Stadium, the venue where West Ham plays its home games, has recommended that co-owner David Sullivan refrain from attending matches in response to concerns about potential fan unrest. The recommendation follows a joint investigation by BBC Panorama and The Times that detailed allegations of sexual misconduct from seven women, which Sullivan has categorically denied.
London Stadium requested that West Ham provide advance notice of any planned visits by Sullivan so additional safety and operational measures could be implemented. However, the club has indicated it expects Sullivan to disregard this recommendation and intends to work with stadium operators to facilitate his attendance at games. London Stadium cited concerns about “potential for demonstrations and anti-social behaviour by some spectators” as the reason for the advisory, though the venue acknowledged that West Ham determined there is no ongoing safeguarding risk associated with Sullivan’s presence.
Sullivan stepped down from his position as joint chairman shortly before the investigation was broadcast, stating he wanted to focus on contesting what he characterized as “factually incorrect and entirely false” allegations. He remains the club’s largest shareholder. The investigation also revealed that Sullivan has been subject to a three-year ban on contact with West Ham’s women’s and youth teams due to safeguarding concerns, a restriction that London Stadium said it was unaware of until the BBC’s report was published.
The ban stemmed from a historic allegation raised with the Football Association in 2023. Sullivan previously indicated he accepted the restriction as “meaningless” given that he had never met academy or women’s team players on a one-to-one basis during his 16 years at the club. West Ham were relegated from the Premier League in May and are scheduled to begin their new season with a Carabao Cup match against Portsmouth on Saturday.
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