David Sullivan expected to attend West Ham’s Carabao Cup tie despite stadium advice
David Sullivan is expected to attend West Ham’s Carabao Cup first-round match against Portsmouth at London Stadium on Saturday despite being advised not to go to home games, sources said.
Sullivan, 77, resigned as co-chair of West Ham in June after a joint investigation by BBC Panorama and The Times reported seven women had accused him of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour; he has categorically denied the allegations. A spokesperson for London Stadium told BBC News it had "recommended" to West Ham that Sullivan does not attend matches because of concerns about fan unrest, and Sullivan retains a 38.8% stake in the club.
The Portsmouth fixture will be the club’s first match since the allegations were published. West Ham have sold 55,000 season tickets for the new campaign and Saturday’s tie, scheduled for 15:00 BST, is anticipated to set an attendance record for an EFL Cup first-round game.
The Panorama and Times investigation also reported that Sullivan has been banned from contact with West Ham’s women’s and youth teams for the past three years over safeguarding concerns, a restriction London Stadium said it had not been aware of until the BBC’s report. The ban followed a historical allegation about his conduct that was raised with the Football Association in 2023; Sullivan has previously said that allegation was false.
Sullivan has faced intense fan abuse over his stewardship of the club, which was relegated to the Championship last season for the first time since 2011. On the field, West Ham have stabilised, with manager Nuno Espírito Santo and captain Jarrod Bowen committing their futures to the club, but uncertainty remains off the pitch.
Ownership talks have shifted during the recent turmoil: Vanessa Gold withdrew from a deal to sell part of her stake to Daniel Kretinsky and instead reached an agreement with Amanda Staveley to sell her entire 25.1% holding. Kretinsky has since sold a small portion of his own stake, taking him below 25%, which would allow him under West Ham’s pre-emption rights to buy Gold’s shares; if he did so he would become the club’s largest shareholder without triggering a clause that would force him to buy the remainder.
London Stadium has asked for advance notice of any planned visits by major shareholder Sullivan so it can implement additional safety and operational measures, and club sources expect him to attend Saturday’s Carabao Cup first-round tie against Portsmouth at 15:00 BST.
