West Ham Prepares for David Sullivan's Return Amid Fan Unrest
West Ham United are preparing for David Sullivan to attend Saturday’s Carabao Cup first-round tie against Portsmouth at London Stadium, despite being urged by the venue’s operators to stay away from home matches.
The 77-year-old resigned as the club’s co-chair in June after a joint BBC Panorama and The Times investigation reported that seven women had accused him of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour. Sullivan has categorically denied all allegations.
His presence this weekend would come against the advice of London Stadium, which told BBC News on Monday it had “recommended” to West Ham that Sullivan does not attend fixtures because of concerns over potential fan unrest. The stadium has asked the club to give advance notice of any planned visits by Sullivan, who still holds a 38.8% shareholding, so it can put extra safety and operational measures in place.
The tie against Portsmouth will be West Ham’s first match since the allegations became public. It will also be the first major test of the mood around Sullivan inside a stadium where anger towards him had already been simmering for years.
Safeguarding ban revealed
The Panorama and Times investigation also revealed that Sullivan has been banned from contact with West Ham’s women’s and youth teams for the past three years on safeguarding grounds.
London Stadium officials were unaware of those restrictions until the BBC’s report.
The ban followed a historical allegation about Sullivan’s conduct that was raised with the Football Association in 2023. Sullivan has previously described that allegation as false.
All of this lands on top of long-standing resentment from sections of the fanbase. Supporters had already turned on him over his stewardship of the club, which culminated in relegation to the Championship last season for the first time since 2011.
Stability on the pitch, turmoil off it
On the field, the picture looks calmer.
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has committed his future to West Ham, as has captain Jarrod Bowen. Performances and results have steadied after the drop, giving the club at least a sense of direction in football terms.
Away from the technical area, the landscape is far less settled.
Vanessa Gold, daughter of Sullivan’s late business partner and former co-chair David Gold, had initially moved towards selling part of her stake to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky. Instead, she pivoted, agreeing to sell her entire 25.1% holding to Amanda Staveley, best known as the public face of the Saudi Arabia-backed takeover at Newcastle United.
The twist did not end there. Kretinsky has since offloaded a small portion of his own shares, nudging his stake just below the 25% threshold. That detail matters.
Under West Ham’s pre-emption rights rules, existing shareholders get first refusal when shares are put up for sale. Kretinsky’s reduced holding means he could now buy Gold’s shares without triggering a clause that would force him to make an offer for the rest of the club. If he chose to do so, he would become West Ham’s largest shareholder without launching a full takeover.
Record crowd expected
All of this plays out against a backdrop of remarkable support.
Saturday’s tie with fellow Championship side Portsmouth (15:00 BST) is expected to set a new attendance record for an EFL Cup first-round match. West Ham have sold 55,000 season tickets for the new campaign, a number that underlines the scale of the club and the depth of its backing.
So London Stadium will be full, loud and watching.
West Ham’s players will be chasing a place in the next round. The fans will be watching the football – and, just as intently, who takes their seat in the directors’ box.
