West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has been barred from contact with the club's women's and youth teams for the past three years, following a Football Association safeguarding investigation launched in 2023 after allegations about his conduct. A safeguarding group comprising the club, the FA and the local authority decided to prevent Sullivan from accessing his own club's youth and women's teams, the BBC has learned. He has also been prohibited from attending their matches, a ban that remains in place today.
Sullivan, 77, has not responded to requests for comment, but has previously denied allegations of wrongdoing. The restrictions were never made public, and Sullivan continued to appear prominently in the director's box for men's team games at the London Stadium. He remains the club's largest shareholder, though he resigned as co-chair and a director on Saturday, ahead of a joint BBC and Times investigation in which multiple women accused the billionaire of abusing his power and preying on them for sex.
“West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has been barred from women's and youth teams since 2023 after an FA safeguarding investigation.”
Denying the allegations, Sullivan said he wanted to focus on fighting what he called "factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations concerning my personal life," describing the investigation as "fundamentally unfair." The allegations span decades from when Sullivan made his fortune in pornography, newspapers and football. All the accusers were women in their late teens or early twenties who were young models seeking work at Sullivan's Daily and Sunday Sport newspapers.
The BBC and Times investigation also revealed that eight women, including one who was part of the investigation, have gone to the police with disclosures about Sullivan's conduct. None of those cases have resulted in charges. The Metropolitan Police said it takes such allegations "extremely seriously" and "any information or evidence provided to police will be assessed and the appropriate enquiries carried out."
The Independent Football Regulator said it contacted West Ham over "extremely serious allegations" about Sullivan and was seeking "urgent information" from him about his suitability for the role. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's spokesperson called the women's accounts "harrowing." Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy described the latest revelations as "utterly horrifying."
West Ham and the FA both said they have robust safeguarding measures but cannot comment on individual cases.