Sullivan banned from contact with West Ham women's and youth teams since 2023

The decision followed a safeguarding investigation opened by the the Football Association. David Sullivan banned from contact with West Ham women's and youth teams since 2023 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. Former West Ham United chairman David Sullivan in the stands before the team's Premier League match at Molineux, Wolverhampton. He is wearing a black coat and tie with a white shirt. 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. The Football Association opened a safeguarding investigation in 2023 after receiving allegations about the conduct of Sullivan, the co-owner and then the co-chair, of West Ham United. In response, 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, the BBC has learned. He has also been prevented from attending their matches, with the ban remaining in place to the present day. Sullivan has not responded to a request for comment, but has previously said he denies allegations of wrongdoing. 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 restrictions were not made public and 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. He remains the club's largest shareholder, although he resigned as co-chair and a director of West Ham on Saturday ahead of the BBC and Times investigation, in which multiple women accused the billionaire businessman of abusing his power and preying on them for sex. Denying the allegations, he said he wanted to focus on fighting what he called "factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations concerning my personal life", describing the investigation as "fundamentally unfair". West Ham and the Football Association both said they have robust safeguarding measures but cannot comment on individual cases. West Ham co-owner David Sullivan is holding a maroon shirt featuring his name, in a photograph dated 19 January 2010. 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 BBC and Times investigation also revealed that eight women, including one who was part of the investigation, have gone to the police with disclosures about Sullivan's conduct. None of those cases have resulted in charges. The Metropolitan Police said it takes such allegations "extremely seriously" and "any information or evidence provided to police will be assessed and the appropriate enquiries carried out". The Independent Football Regulator said it contacted West Ham over "extremely serious allegations" raised about Sullivan and said it was seeking "urgent information" from him about his suitability for the role. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's spokesperson called the women's accounts "harrowing". Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy described the latest revelations as "utterly horrifying". "If it is the case that an investigation concluded that there were sufficiently serious allegations to warrant a ban on contact with the youth and women's teams, then the FA must explain this decision and why no further action was taken," she said. "I expect a full and urgent explanation from the FA and West Ham as to how these incredibly serious allegations have been handled." Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones, the former victims minister and Labour MP, said she was "horrified but sadly not surprised when she first heard of the allegations against David Sullivan". She called for a review of how the police have handled disclosures made about Sullivan, and into what action had been taken by the FA and West Ham. West Ham said it had clear and robust safeguarding measures in place and the club was unable to comment or provide details on "any individual safeguarding matter as per standard practice in the industry". 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". 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