West Ham's David Sullivan Responds to Misconduct Allegations as Investigation Begins

West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan has denied claims of sexual misconduct. The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) has confirmed that it is looking into his suitability as part of its owners, directors, and senior executives rules.

The IFR stated it was in contact with West Ham. They will use their legal powers to get urgent information about Sullivan after several women made allegations against him.

These claims, reported by BBC Panorama and The Times, say the billionaire businessman abused his power and targeted young women for sex over many years. The women were said to be in their late teens or early twenties and were looking for work as models at Sullivan’s Daily and Sunday Sport newspapers.

On Tuesday, the BBC reported that the IFR described the allegations as extremely serious. They said they would check if there were valid concerns about Sullivan’s role at West Ham.

A spokesperson from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said, "These deeply concerning allegations must be treated with the utmost seriousness and be investigated by the relevant authorities, with victims given the support they need."

The spokesperson added, "The Government stands strongly against any form of harassment or abuse of power in the workplace. We are working across industries to stop it and create a safe environment for people to challenge bad behaviour."

Sullivan has firmly denied all allegations and said he has done nothing illegal. The 77-year-old stepped down from his role as West Ham’s joint chairman before the allegations were published. In his resignation statement, he said he wanted to focus on fighting what he called "factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations" about his personal life.

He also called the investigations by Panorama and The Times "fundamentally unfair". Sullivan said, "After a lifetime spent building businesses in the adult industry, where I have met thousands of women, it is sadly inevitable that a small number of improper conduct claims are being made against me."

West Ham stated that Sullivan denied any illegal conduct and was stepping aside to avoid causing problems for the club while he deals with the matter privately.

Sullivan has been a major figure at West Ham for 16 years. He became the club’s largest individual shareholder after the death of his longtime business partner David Gold in January 2023. PUNCH Online reported that Sullivan announced on Saturday he stepped down from his role as joint-chair of West Ham with immediate effect.