David Sullivan has stepped down as joint chairman of West Ham United with immediate effect, threatening legal action against the media in light of “serious historic allegations” set to be revealed on Monday.
The 77-year-old is leaving his role of 16 years to fight what he called “false allegations” about his private life, following a joint investigation by the BBC and The Times into Sullivan’s “behaviour”.
Having made his fortune in the pornography industry and then newspapers through the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport titles, Sullivan completed a takeover of West Ham in 2010 with his business partner David Gold, who died in 2023, after the pair sold their shares in Birmingham City.
Sullivan and his fellow executives’ relationship with West Ham fans became increasingly fractious over the course of their tenure at the east London club. The decision to relocate from Upton Park to the former Olympic Stadium in 2016 a hugely unpopular one with many supporters.
That move was led by Karren Brady, who followed Sullivan and Gold from Birmingham and stepped down from her role as West Ham’s vice-chair in April amid a challenging season which ultimately ended in the club’s relegation from the Premier League.
