UK’s football regulator seeks “urgent info” on West Ham owner Sullivan | OneFootball

Jake Hastings, Football reporter

Warning: this article contains references to sexual misconduct. Reader discretion is advised.

The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) has contacted West Ham saying it will “use statutory powers to seek urgent information from David Sullivan”, and could force the sale of his stake in the club if he is deemed unsuitable.

It has been reported that David Sullivan could be forced to sell his share in West Ham after he was accused of “serious historical allegations” by multiple women, including using his power and preying on them for sex.

The accusations – which the billionaire “categorically” denies – also detail that this occurred when the 77-year-old was owner of the Daily and Sunday Sport Newspapers and some of the alleged victims were in their late teens.

Sullivan resigned as a director and co-chair of the London club after 16 years on Saturday, before a joint investigation by the BBC and The Times uncovered the women’s allegations.

In a statement published on West Ham’s website, Sullivan said: “I have recently become aware that factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations concerning my personal life are due to be broadcast and published.

“The false allegations levelled against me have been sensationalised by the media. After a lifetime spent building businesses in the adult industry, in which I have met thousands of women, it is sadly inevitable that a small number of improper conduct claims are being made against me. I categorically deny these claims.

“I have not been provided with any proper explanation as to how these individuals or their claims were independently verified or assessed for credibility prior to publication.

“I believe that the entire process has been fundamentally unfair and completely lacking in any due impartiality. I will be suing the BBC for libel, along with any other media outlet that repeats any libellous allegations.”

Since the release of his statement, several outlets have covered the story, including The Times and the BBC, the latter of which released a 30-minute Panorama documentary investigating Sullivan’s conduct.

A spokesperson for the IFR said: “These are extremely serious allegations. We are in contact with West Ham on this matter and will use our statutory powers to seek urgent information from David Sullivan relating to his suitability under our Owners, Directors and Senior Executives regime. We are unable to comment further at this stage.”

Despite his resignation, Sullivan still has the largest stake in West Ham United (38.8%) of West Ham’s Ownership Board, ahead of Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský (27%), the Vanessa Gold Family Trust (25.1%), and American investor Albert Smith (8%).

However, this could soon change with action from the Independent Football Regulator, which has the power to remove owners who are considered unsuitable.

The IFR is a statutory body introduced in last year’s Football Governance Act to help safeguard the financial sustainability and heritage of English men’s professional football.

Falling under the IFR’s remit are football clubs’ owners and directors, this being why the suitability test was introduced, with the body stating that it would be able to “assess [their] honesty, integrity, and financial soundness”.

It also stated that it would ensure such individuals have the necessary skills and experience in order to do so – Sullivan has amassed over 30 years working in football, but the allegations will raise serious suitability questions.

In effect, if they find Sullivan does not meet that criteria, they can step in and, as a last resort, could force Sullivan to sell his stake in West Ham to a different investor – be it someone already on the Ownership Board or elsewhere.

If the 77-year-old were to sell his stake, it remains unclear who would purchase it. It has been reported that Křetínský could look to increase his stake in the club, especially after their first relegation to the Championship since 2011.