Football regulator contacts West Ham over 'serious allegations' against Sullivan

Multiple women accuse the billionaire of abusing his power and preying on them for sex, in some cases when they were in their late teens. Football regulator contacts West Ham over 'serious allegations' against Sullivan Ex-model tells BBC about meeting with David Sullivan Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. West Ham co-owner David Sullivan is holding a maroon shirt featuring his name, in a photograph dated 19 January 2010. Warning: this story includes descriptions of alleged sexual misconduct and explicit language The Independent Football Regulator has contacted West Ham over "extremely serious allegations" raised about the club's co-owner David Sullivan and said it is seeking "urgent information" from him about his suitability for the role. Multiple women have accused the billionaire of abusing his power and preying on them for sex, in some cases when they were in their late teens. Sullivan has "categorically" denied the claims, uncovered by BBC Panorama and the Times. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said the "deeply concerning" allegations must be "treated with the utmost seriousness" and "investigated by the relevant authorities". David Sullivan, a man with swept-back grey hair wearing a dark coat and a navy tie, pictured at the London Stadium, West Ham's home ground. West Ham co-owner accused of preying on women for sex David Sullivan wears a black suit while sitting on a desk in his home in 2003. Who is David Sullivan - football boss, 'king of porn' and alleged sexual predator? West Ham's joint-chair David Sullivan looks on from the stands prior to the team's game against Everton at London Stadium in April 2026 Sullivan steps down at West Ham in wake of allegations The allegations span decades when Sullivan made a fortune from pornography, newspapers and football. All come from women who were in their late teens or early twenties and were young models seeking work at Sullivan's Daily and Sunday Sport newspapers. The IFR was created in July 2025 with the aim of protecting and promoting the financial soundness of football clubs and safeguarding the heritage of football. It has powers to take action against "unsuitable owners and directors", which it says enables it to act when clubs are in "crisis". The regulator is expected to use its statutory powers to determine whether there are grounds for concern regarding Sullivan's role in the club. If it does come into possession of such material, it may open an investigation into the West Ham co-owner's suitability. Factors the IFR may consider when assessing a person's suitability include whether they have the requisite honesty and integrity. A Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson 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 government stands strongly against any form of harassment or abuse of power in the workplace and is working across industries to stamp it out and build an environment where people feel safe and able to challenge inappropriate chamber." One woman, Florence (not her real name), said she felt forced to have sex with Sullivan in 1999 when she went to his Essex mansion for a business meeting Sullivan looked at her modelling portfolio, she said, and then asked her to strip down to her underwear, which she did. "I'll give you a little bit of work because you've taken the trouble," she recalled him saying. But she said he then told her in crude language that if she let him have sex with her, "then you'll be one of my regular girls". "You'll be in all the magazines. I can give you covers, I can give you centrefolds, and you'll be one of my Sport girls," she recalled him saying. Florence said she panicked and told him her boyfriend was outside and that she was on her period, but Sullivan was undeterred. "This is the bit that will haunt me forever," she said. "He lifted his pinky in the air - his little finger - and he went, it's all right, I'll only put it in a little bit." He then manoeuvred her into a bedroom, she said. She did not want to have sex, she told us, but she cannot be sure how she expressed it and whether he got the message. She was in "pure panic mode", Florence said, and she is "99.999999%" sure that she was telling him: "I don't want to, I don't want to." But she said she does not know how loud she said that. Sullivan pulled his jogging bottoms down and then penetrated her, Florence said. Lawyers for David Sullivan said Florence's account is "implausible" given the layout of his house. David Sullivan pictured at home in the 1990s, wearing a sweatshirt which says "The Blues" in reference to Birmingham City which he then co-owned. He is pictured leaning against a grand piano in an ornately decorated living room, with a crystal chandelier, gilt mouldings and mirrors, and sofas in white and gold. Sacha Wall, the only alleged victim of Sullivan's predatory behaviour who wanted to be named by BBC Panorama and the Times, was 24-years-old when she went to Sullivan's house for a meeting in 1998. Sullivan began looking through her modelling portfolio before telling her to follow him upstairs and to undress to her underwear, she said. Wall said Sullivan told her a well-known glamour model was one of his "special friends" and she "could have the same help" if she also became "one of his special friends". She said she told him: "If you think I'm going to sleep with you to get in the paper, you've got another thing coming." "He looked very shocked as I said that," she continued. "And then said, what, not even a blow job?" She said she told him "no" and tried to leave the room but discovered he had locked the door. Wall recalled being "really scared" and said she swore and demanded he open the door, while Sullivan told her to calm down. She said he shouted "you're going about it the hard way" and unlocked the door, before she ran downstairs and out the house. Sullivan stepped down from his role as joint chairman of West Ham over the weekend, ahead of the allegations being published on Monday. In his resignation statement, he said he wanted to focus on fighting "factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations" concerning his personal life, describing the investigation by Panorama and the Times as "fundamentally unfair". He 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". West Ham also issued a statement, saying Sullivan had denied any "illegal conduct" and was leaving "in order to avoid disruption to the club while he addresses the matter privately". The 77-year-old had held the joint chairman position for 16 years, and was the club's largest single shareholder following the death of his business partner, David Gold, in January 2023. 'He said I could be one of his special friends': Ex-model tells BBC about meeting with David Sullivan Woman with long blonde hair sitting in a dining room of a house A joint investigation by Panorama and the Times newspaper into the behaviour of David Sullivan, who has announced he is stepping down as co-chair and director of West Ham United Football Club. Over decades, he has made millions from pornography, newspapers and football. Do you have information relevant to our investigation? Get in touch at sullivaninvestigation@bbc.co.uk Do you have information relevant to our investigation? Get in touch at If you are affected by any of the issues in this story, help and support is available at BBC Action Line If you are affected by any of the issues in this story, help and support is available at BBC Action Line