David Sullivan has resigned as joint chairman and director of West Ham United with immediate effect, after being told that a joint investigation by BBC Panorama and the Times would publish “serious historic allegations” about his behaviour on Monday. The 77-year-old billionaire, who made his fortune in the adult entertainment industry before co-owning the club for 16 years, said he “categorically deny these claims” and plans to sue the BBC for libel.
In a statement, Sullivan described the allegations as “factually incorrect and entirely false”, adding that they concern “decades-old allegations concerning my personal life”. He said he was stepping down “to apply my full energy and attention on fighting these false allegations” and to avoid becoming “an unnecessary distraction or a source of instability” for the club, which was relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2025-26 season after finishing 18th.
“David Sullivan quits as West Ham chair after 'serious historic allegations' by BBC Panorama and the Times, which he denies and will sue over.”
“After a lifetime spent building businesses in the adult industry, in which I have met thousands of women, it is sadly inevitable that a small number of improper conduct claims are being made against me,” Sullivan said. He claimed to be a “private man” and “not the caricature invented by the tabloids”, adding: “I am absolutely not the person the media has decided to paint me as.”
Sullivan insisted that “none of these allegations relate to my more than 30 years in football”. West Ham’s own statement said it “is understood none of the allegations relate to West Ham United or any of its operations”. The club added that Sullivan has denied any “illegal conduct” and is leaving “in order to avoid disruption to the club while he addresses the matter privately”.
Sullivan and his late business partner David Gold completed their takeover of West Ham in January 2010. They oversaw the club’s move from Upton Park to London Stadium in 2016 and their Europa Conference League win in 2023. Sullivan became the club’s largest single shareholder with a 38.8% stake after Gold’s death in January 2023.
Interim chief executive officer Karim Virani will continue to lead day-to-day operations, reporting to the current board. The club said it “will provide an update on the future structure of the board of directors in due course, but will make no further comment at this time.” A 29-minute BBC Panorama episode is set to air on BBC One at 8pm on Monday, 8 June.