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Three-Year Contact Ban
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has been banned from having contact with the club’s women’s and youth teams for the last three years because of safeguarding concerns, with the Football Association opening a safeguarding investigation in 2023 after receiving allegations about his conduct.
The BBC says a safeguarding group made up of the club, the FA and the local authority decided to prevent Sullivan from having access to his own club's youth and women's teams, and he was also prevented from attending their matches with the ban remaining in place to the present day.
Sullivan, who resigned as co-chair and a director of West Ham on Saturday ahead of the BBC and Times investigation, has denied wrongdoing and previously said he denies allegations of wrongdoing.
The BBC reports that the restrictions were not made public and that Sullivan remained a prominent figure in the club, regularly appearing in the director's box for the men's team games at the London Stadium.
In his resignation statement, Sullivan said that "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."
Accusations, Police Disclosures
The BBC and Times investigation reported that multiple women accused the billionaire businessman of abusing his power and preying on them for sex, with the allegations spanning decades and coming from women who were in their late teens or early twenties.
The BBC says the investigation revealed that eight women, including one who was part of the investigation, have gone to the police with disclosures about Sullivan's conduct, and none of those cases have resulted in charges.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's spokesperson called the women's accounts "harrowing," while Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy described the latest revelations as "utterly horrifying."
Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones said she was "horrified but sadly not surprised when she first heard of the allegations against David Sullivan," and she called for a review of how the police have handled disclosures made about Sullivan.
The Independent Football Regulator said it contacted West Ham over "extremely serious allegations" raised about Sullivan and was seeking "urgent information" from him about his suitability for the role.
Regulator Pressure and Fallout
The BBC reports that the Independent Football Regulator said it contacted West Ham over "extremely serious allegations" raised about Sullivan and was seeking "urgent information" from him about his suitability for the role.
The New York Times reports that Sullivan, 77, was accused of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour against seven women over multiple decades, with the claims published on Monday in a joint investigation by the BBC as part of its Panorama programme and The Times.
The New York Times says Uma Kumaran, Labour MP for Stratford and Bow, urged Sullivan to sell his 38.8 per cent stake in the club, adding that "All relevant authorities, including the new football regulator, must investigate these claims in full and as a matter of the utmost urgency."
The BBC says West Ham and the Football Association both said they have robust safeguarding measures but cannot comment on individual cases, while Sullivan told the BBC and The Times that he "categorically denies" all the allegations.
The BBC also reports that Sullivan remained the club's largest shareholder despite resigning as co-chair and a director, and it notes that the ban on contact with youth and women’s teams has remained in place to the present day.
