David Sullivan Resigns from West Ham Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations and Scrutiny of Newspaper Practices
Multiple women have accused West Ham co-owner David Sullivan of using his power to coerce them into sex, prompting the Independent Football Regulator to seek urgent information about his suitability as an owner. Sullivan, 77, resigned as co-chair and director over the weekend ahead of the joint BBC Panorama and Times investigation, which details allegations spanning decades involving women in their late teens and early twenties. The case has drawn government condemnation, a Metropolitan Police response, and scrutiny of Sullivan's past ownership of the Daily and Sunday Sport newspapers, where underage girls were featured in sexualised content.
Seven women have accused billionaire David Sullivan of sexual misconduct in a joint investigation by BBC Panorama and The Times, with three alleging he abused his power as owner of the Daily and Sunday Sport newspapers to pressure them into sex, and four others describing exploitative and predatory behaviour during business meetings. Sullivan, who stepped down as West Ham's co-chair and director on Saturday before the allegations were published, has categorically denied all claims through his lawyers, calling them 'factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations.' The Independent Football Regulator (IFR), established in July 2025 under the Football Governance Act, has contacted West Ham and is using its statutory powers to seek urgent information from Sullivan regarding his suitability under its owners, directors and senior executives regime, with the potential to force him to sell his 38.8% stake in the club. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson described the women's accounts as 'harrowing,' while the Department for Culture, Media and Sport called the allegations 'deeply concerning' and said they must be investigated by relevant authorities. Additional scrutiny has fallen on Sullivan's Sport newspapers, which ran a 'Countdown to 16' feature publishing sexualised images of underage girls in the weeks before their 16th birthdays; former victims' commissioner Vera Baird described the practice as using underage girls as 'bait for predatory men.' BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Tony Livesey, named in one woman's account as having arranged a meeting with Sullivan, has stepped back from his show while the BBC considers the allegations, though he has firmly denied any involvement. Separately, Bloomberg reports that billionaire Daniel Kretinsky is considering a deal to become West Ham's largest shareholder amid the ownership uncertainty.
What's missing
It is not yet clear what specific legal threshold the IFR must meet to compel Sullivan to divest his shareholding, nor what timeline the regulator is working to. The Metropolitan Police have not confirmed whether a formal investigation has been opened.
How coverage differed
The Guardian framed its coverage primarily around the broader cultural and legal context of Sullivan's Sport newspapers and their use of sexualised images of underage girls, foregrounding commentary from the former victims' commissioner and a former Home Office minister. The BBC's reporting centred more on the individual women's testimonies and the regulatory and governmental responses, while France 24 treated the story as part of a broader press review with less depth on the specific allegations.
What different sources said
David Sullivan’s Sport newspapers used sexualised images of underage girls as ‘bait for predatory men’
- BBC Top StoriesCenter
London Stadium and West Ham women's team not aware of David Sullivan contact ban
- BloombergCenter
Kretinsky Is Said to Consider Becoming Top West Ham Shareholder
- France 24Center
West Ham owner David Sullivan accused of preying on women for sex
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