West Ham Faces Ownership Turmoil as Sullivan Returns
David Sullivan is expected to walk back into London Stadium on Saturday, stepping into a storm that has been gathering for weeks.
West Ham’s former co-chair, now 77 and no longer on the board, plans to attend the Carabao Cup first-round tie against Portsmouth despite being advised to stay away from home matches. Stadium officials have “recommended” he does not come, citing fears over fan unrest. The club, though, is preparing for his presence.
Sullivan, who retains a 38.8% shareholding and remains a dominant figure behind the scenes, resigned in June after a joint BBC Panorama and The Times investigation reported allegations from seven women accusing him of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour. He has categorically denied all accusations.
Stadium on alert
London Stadium executives have asked for advance notice of any visit by Sullivan so they can put extra safety and operational measures in place. They know the temperature around him. They have already seen the anger.
For years, large sections of the fanbase have targeted Sullivan for his stewardship of the club, long before the recent allegations. Last season’s relegation to the Championship – the first drop since 2011 – only hardened that hostility.
Now the context is far more volatile. On Monday, a stadium spokesperson confirmed to BBC News that they had advised West Ham against Sullivan attending matches. It was a recommendation, not an outright ban, but it underlined the concern about how supporters might react if he appears in the directors’ box.
That concern deepened when it emerged that London Stadium had been unaware of existing restrictions on Sullivan’s involvement with parts of the club.
Safeguarding ban previously hidden
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 because of safeguarding concerns.
London Stadium officials did not know about those internal restrictions until the BBC’s reporting brought them into the open.
The ban followed a historical allegation about Sullivan’s conduct that was raised with the Football Association in 2023. Sullivan has previously said that allegation was false. The club acted by keeping him away from the most vulnerable areas of its football operation. Now, that decision is part of a much wider, far more public reckoning.
Stability on the pitch, turmoil off it
On the grass, West Ham have found a measure of calm. Nuno Espirito Santo has committed his future, as has captain Jarrod Bowen. The squad looks settled enough for a Championship campaign they hope will be short and successful.
Off the pitch, the picture is anything but settled.
The ownership structure, already complex, has entered another uncertain phase. Vanessa Gold, daughter of Sullivan’s late business partner and former co-chair David Gold, had been in talks to sell part of her stake to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky. That path closed. Instead, she agreed to sell her entire 25.1% holding to Amanda Staveley, best known as the public face of the Saudi Arabia-backed takeover at Newcastle.
It looked like the start of a new power axis at West Ham. Then the numbers shifted again.
Kretinsky has since sold a small slice of his own stake, dropping his holding below 25%. That tweak matters. Under West Ham’s pre-emption rights rules, existing shareholders get first refusal on any shares that come up for sale. Falling under the 25% threshold would allow Kretinsky to move for Gold’s shares without tripping another clause that would oblige him to buy the rest of the club.
If he exercises that option, he becomes West Ham’s largest shareholder – and does so without launching a full takeover. Control, without the formal coronation.
Record crowd, fraught backdrop
All of this plays out as West Ham prepare to host a match that should, on paper, be about optimism and a fresh start.
Portsmouth, like West Ham, are now a Championship side. The tie, scheduled for 15:00 BST, is expected to set a new attendance record for an EFL Cup first-round fixture. The Hammers have sold 55,000 season tickets for the new campaign, a staggering figure for a club outside the Premier League and a reminder of the size – and expectation – of this fanbase.
Those supporters will arrive hungry for a statement on the pitch. They will also arrive with questions about who really runs their club, who will own it next, and why a man advised to stay away still feels able to walk through the door.
If Sullivan does take his seat on Saturday, the noise inside London Stadium will not just be about the football.
