David Sullivan is expected to attend West Ham's Carabao Cup first-round tie against Portsmouth on Saturday, despite London Stadium advising him to stay away from home matches. The stadium's spokesperson stated on Monday that they had "recommended" to West Ham that Sullivan not attend due to concerns about potential fan unrest.
Sullivan, 77, resigned from his position as co-chair of West Ham in June. This followed a joint investigation by BBC Panorama and The Times, which reported that seven women have accused him of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour. Sullivan has categorically denied these allegations.
London Stadium has requested advance notice of any planned visits by Sullivan, who remains a major shareholder with a 38.8% stake in the club, to implement additional safety and operational measures. This match against Portsmouth will be the first the club has played since these allegations were initially reported.
The joint investigation also revealed that Sullivan has been banned from contact with West Ham's women's and youth teams for the past three years due to safeguarding concerns. This ban followed a historical allegation about his conduct raised with the Football Association in 2023, which Sullivan has previously stated was false. London Stadium was reportedly unaware of these restrictions until the BBC's report.
Off the pitch, there is significant uncertainty regarding the club's ownership. Vanessa Gold, daughter of the late former co-chair David Gold, backed out of a deal to sell part of her stake to Daniel Kretinsky. Instead, she reached an agreement with Amanda Staveley to sell her entire 25.1% stake. Kretinsky has since sold a small part of his own stake, bringing him under 25%, which could allow him to buy Gold's shares under West Ham's pre-emption rights rules.