West Ham co-owner Sullivan advised to stay away from home matches

What the report says

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has been advised not to attend the club’s home matches, according to BBC Panorama and The Times reporting cited by BBC Sport Football. A spokesperson for London Stadium said the venue had recommended the step because of concerns about possible fan unrest, and asked for advance notice if Sullivan does plan to visit so extra safety measures can be put in place.

The advice follows a joint investigation that reported allegations from seven women accusing Sullivan of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour. Sullivan has denied the claims. He recently stood down as joint chairman of West Ham, saying he wanted to focus on challenging what he described as false allegations, but he remains the club’s largest shareholder.

The BBC report also said Sullivan has been barred for three years from contact with West Ham’s women’s and youth teams because of safeguarding concerns, something London Stadium said it had not known about until the BBC investigation. The venue said it had sought more information to meet its own safeguarding duties, and that West Ham told it there was no ongoing safeguarding risk linked to Sullivan attending matches.

West Ham are due to play their first home match of the new season, a Carabao Cup tie against Portsmouth, on Saturday. The club declined to comment, and it is understood the stadium operators and West Ham will work together if Sullivan attends.