West Ham United has clarified that only a select few individuals within the organisation were informed about a 2023 decision to restrict co-owner and former joint-chairman David Sullivan's access to the club's youth and women's teams. The club's first public statement since the restrictions came to light on Tuesday attributed the internal secrecy to "confidentiality rules", following concerns raised by the owners of the London Stadium regarding their lack of notification.
The club asserted that Mr Sullivan, who stepped down as joint-chairman last Saturday, was the sole board member aware of these specific restrictions. These measures were a direct consequence of a complaint lodged with the Football Association three years ago. The decision to limit access was a collaborative effort involving West Ham, the FA, and the Newham Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), which functions as the local authority's safeguarding arm.
It has been confirmed that this complaint and the subsequent safeguarding measures are entirely separate from a series of more recent allegations published last week. These newer claims, which emerged from a joint investigation by the BBC and The Times, pertain to Mr Sullivan’s conduct while working in the adult entertainment industry during the 1990s. West Ham stated that the full board only became aware of these latter allegations approximately a month ago, when Mr Sullivan himself informed them that potential allegations might surface without providing specific details.
In their statement, West Ham emphasised: "The club wishes to make it clear that the safeguarding measures put in place in 2023 in relation to David Sullivan strictly followed West Ham’s stringent safeguarding policies, as agreed with the FA and the Newham LADO." They further added: "This meant that only a very limited number of West Ham employees were informed of these measures, and these individuals were bound by strict confidentiality rules." The club reiterated that board representatives, other than Mr Sullivan, were not privy to these measures until they were reported in the media this week.
Mr Sullivan has vehemently denied the allegations made against him regarding his past conduct and has indicated his intention to pursue legal action. The club's statement concluded that the full details and severity of these more recent allegations, which Mr Sullivan denies, only became apparent to the board when they were made public on Monday.