David Sullivan: What about the future ownership of West Ham United?

When David Sullivan and long-time business partner David Gould bought West Ham United in January 2010, Sullivan described the club as being in “serious disarray”.

Many fans look at West Ham in their current state and ask ‘what has changed?’ You might ask.

Confirmation that the Independent Football Regulator (IFR). “In touch” with West Ham And the urgent need for information from Sullivan “relating to his suitability” under the scrutiny of the owners, directors and senior executives adds another layer to the general sense of uncertainty surrounding the London Stadium.

In the year On June 7, Sullivan stepped down as co-chairman at the club, saying he wanted to focus on combating what he called “frankly inaccurate and completely false, decades-old allegations about my personal life.”

The allegations, unheard by BBC Panorama and The Times, include allegations that the billionaire abused his power and sexually assaulted seven women, in some cases when they were in their late teens. Sullivan said he completely denied the claims.

Although the allegations are not focused on West Ham, they do raise serious concerns.

In a statement, West Ham said it had clear and robust safeguards in place, adding that the club “is unable to comment or provide details on any individual safeguarding matter in accordance with standard practice in the industry”.

West Ham are the first Premier League club to be recognized by charity White Ribbon UK for their efforts to end male violence against women and girls.

In a statement, it said the White Ribbon recognized organizations “for presenting a three-year action plan for improvement” and “is not a representation or endorsement of individuals associated with the organization.”

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said the “serious” allegations against Sullivan were “taken very seriously” and “should be investigated by the relevant authorities”.

He may have stepped down as chairman but Sullivan remains the club’s largest shareholder with a 38.8% stake. BBC Sport have been told that his sons Jack and David Jnr will not play a starting role at West Ham.

The club’s next two significant shareholders are Czech businessman Daniel Kretynsky and Vanessa Gold – David’s daughter, who died in January 2023 – 27% and 25.1% respectively.

In a statement regarding Sullivan’s resignation, West Ham said: “The club will provide an update on the future composition of the board of directors in due course.”

But that’s not the only problem facing West Ham.