West Ham still expect major shareholder David Sullivan to attend Saturday’s Carabao Cup first-round tie against Portsmouth, despite London Stadium advising he stay away from home matches amid fears of fan unrest.
Sullivan, 77, stepped down as West Ham’s co-chair in June after a joint BBC Panorama and The Times investigation reported accusations from seven women of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour. He has firmly denied the allegations.
A London Stadium spokesperson told BBC News on Monday that the venue had recommended to West Ham that Sullivan not attend games. The stadium has also requested advance notice of any visits by Sullivan, who holds a 38.8% stake, so extra safety and operational measures can be put in place.
Saturday’s fixture will be the club’s first since the allegations became public. The Panorama/Times investigation also reported that Sullivan has been barred from contact with West Ham’s women’s and youth teams for the past three years due to safeguarding concerns—restrictions the stadium says it learned about only through the BBC’s reporting. The ban followed a historical allegation raised with the FA in 2023, which Sullivan has previously called false.
Sullivan had already been the target of heavy fan abuse over his stewardship of the club, which was relegated to the Championship last season for the first time since 2011. On the pitch, West Ham have since steadied, with manager Nuno Espirito Santo and captain Jarrod Bowen among those committing their futures, but uncertainty persists off it.
In ownership developments, Vanessa Gold—daughter of Sullivan’s late business partner and former co-chair David Gold—abandoned a plan to sell part of her holding to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky and instead agreed to sell her entire 25.1% stake to Amanda Staveley. Kretinsky has since trimmed his own share to below 25%, a move that would allow him, under West Ham’s pre-emption rights, to purchase Gold’s shares if available and become the club’s largest shareholder without triggering an obligation to buy the rest of the club.
Saturday’s match against fellow Championship side Portsmouth (15:00 BST) is expected to set a new attendance record for an EFL Cup first-round tie, with West Ham having sold 55,000 season tickets for the new campaign.