David Sullivan has resigned as joint-chairman and director of West Ham United with immediate effect, after a joint investigation by BBC Panorama and the Times newspaper into his behaviour is due to be broadcast on Monday.
The 77-year-old billionaire, who made his fortune in the adult entertainment industry before founding the Sport newspapers, said he was stepping down to apply his “full energy and attention” to fighting what he called “false allegations” concerning his personal conduct.
“David Sullivan resigns as West Ham joint-chairman after BBC Panorama and Times probe into his personal conduct.”
“I categorically deny these claims,” Sullivan said in a statement. He described the decades-old allegations as “factually incorrect and entirely false” and said he intends to sue the BBC for libel “along with any other media outlet that repeats any libellous allegations”.
West Ham, who were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2025-26 season after finishing 18th, said in a club statement that they had been “made aware of the impending publication of serious historic allegations” concerning Sullivan. The club added that Sullivan had denied any “illegal conduct” and was leaving “in order to avoid disruption to the club while he addresses the matter privately”.
“None of these allegations relate to my more than 30 years in football; West Ham United has been one of the greatest passions and privileges of my life,” Sullivan said. “I care deeply about the club, its supporters, its players, its staff, and its future. At what is already a challenging and important time for the club, I refuse to allow personal matters concerning me to become an unnecessary distraction or a source of instability.”
He added: “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. I am absolutely not the person the media has decided to paint me as.”
Sullivan has been the club’s largest single shareholder since the death of his business partner David Gold in January 2023, leaving him with a 38.8% stake. He and Gold became joint chairmen when they completed their takeover of West Ham in January 2010. During their tenure, the club moved from Upton Park to London Stadium in 2016 and won the Conference League in 2023, their first major trophy since the 1980 FA Cup. The club’s best Premier League finish under Sullivan was sixth in 2021, but they have finished in the bottom half in three of the past four seasons.
West Ham said “none of the allegations relate to West Ham United or any of its operations”. Interim chief executive officer Karim Virani will continue to lead day-to-day operations, and the club said it would provide an update on the future structure of the board in due course. Sullivan said he had resigned “with a heavy heart”, calling it “an incredibly painful decision to make, but it is one made out of love, respect, and responsibility toward a football club and a fanbase that deserve absolute unity.”