West Ham Prepares for Sullivan's Return Amid Controversy

David Sullivan is expected to walk back into London Stadium on Saturday, stepping into a storm that has been gathering for weeks.

The 77-year-old, who resigned as West Ham’s co-chair in June, is planning to attend the Carabao Cup first-round tie against Portsmouth despite being urged to stay away from home matches. London Stadium officials have “recommended” to the club that Sullivan does not come, warning of potential fan unrest and insisting on advance notice if he does.

West Ham are preparing as if he will.

A club figurehead under fire

Sullivan, still the club’s major shareholder with a 38.8% stake, has been at the centre of a joint BBC Panorama and The Times investigation, which reported that seven women have accused him of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour. He has categorically denied all allegations.

The same investigation revealed that Sullivan has been barred from contact with West Ham’s women’s and youth teams for the past three years on safeguarding grounds. That ban followed a historical allegation reported to the Football Association in 2023, which Sullivan has previously described as false.

Crucially, London Stadium officials only discovered the existence of those restrictions when the BBC story broke. Now, with the club back at home for the first time since the allegations became public, they are on high alert.

The stadium has asked to be informed in advance of any visit from Sullivan so it can put extra safety and operational measures in place. The message is clear: if he comes, they want to be ready.

Anger, loyalty and a full house

This is not a fanbase meeting Sullivan with fresh eyes. He has long been a lightning rod for anger over the way the club has been run. West Ham’s relegation to the Championship last season, their first drop since 2011, only deepened the resentment.

Abuse towards Sullivan from sections of the support had already become a familiar soundtrack. Now, with the new allegations hanging over him, the temperature is rising again.

Yet the stadium will be packed.

Saturday’s tie against fellow Championship side Portsmouth (15:00 BST) is expected to set a new attendance record for an EFL Cup first-round match. West Ham have sold 55,000 season tickets for the new campaign, a remarkable show of loyalty for a club that has just gone down and finds itself mired in off-field controversy.

On the pitch, there are signs of stability. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has committed his future. So has captain Jarrod Bowen, a key figure and symbol of continuity. The football department is trying to move forward.

The boardroom is moving in the opposite direction.

Power play in the background

While Sullivan prepares to return to his seat, the ownership picture around him is shifting again.

Vanessa Gold, daughter of the late former co-chair David Gold, had been in talks to sell part of her 25.1% stake to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky. She changed course, walking away from that partial sale and instead agreeing to sell her entire holding to Amanda Staveley, best known as the public face of the Saudi Arabia-backed takeover at Newcastle.

Just as that deal reshaped expectations, another twist followed. Kretinsky has since sold a small portion of his own shares, taking his stake below 25%. That detail matters.

Under West Ham’s pre-emption rights rules, existing shareholders get first refusal when shares are put up for sale. With his holding now under the 25% threshold, Kretinsky would be able to buy Gold’s shares without triggering a separate clause that would oblige him to bid for the rest of the club.

If he exercises that right, he becomes West Ham’s biggest shareholder. Not with a fanfare takeover. Quietly, by design.

A defining afternoon

So the stage is set. A record crowd for a first-round EFL Cup tie. A Championship clash against Portsmouth that, in any other year, might have slipped under the radar. A manager and captain tied down, trying to build something steady.

And, above it all, the looming figure of David Sullivan, walking back into a stadium that has been advised it would be better if he stayed away.

The football will last 90 minutes. The questions about who truly controls West Ham United, and where they take it next, will linger far longer.