Kretinsky to become West Ham’s largest shareholder after Sullivan exit

West Ham’s balance of power is shifting toward Daniel Kretinsky as the Czech billionaire moves to become the club’s largest shareholder, while the women who made allegations against David Sullivan have been publicly backed by the club’s incoming leadership. The deal would lift Kretinsky’s stake to about 43%, ahead of Sullivan’s 38.8% holding, and it comes as the club faces a test of whether abuse claims are treated as a governance crisis, not a public-relations problem.

The agreement is subject to pre-emption rights and the necessary approvals, but the joint statement from Kretinsky and Vanessa Gold said it would provide the additional financing West Ham need. It also said the Gold family and Kretinsky would vote jointly on key matters as they push for an immediate return to the Premier League. Vanessa Gold inherited her family’s stake after David Gold died in 2023, and Kretinsky is already a shareholder in the club, as well as the owner of Sparta Prague.

The change in control follows Sullivan’s exit as West Ham joint-chair and director on June 6, 2026, after he was told that “serious historic allegations” were about to be published by BBC Panorama and The Times. Those reports alleged predatory and exploitative behaviour over several decades. Sullivan, 77, has denied the claims, called them false and said he intends to sue. The BBC and The Times said the allegations related to seven women, while other reporting said as many as eight women had made disclosures to police. The women were described as young models seeking work at Sullivan’s Daily Sport and Sunday Sport newspapers in the 1980s and 1990s.

The fallout has drawn in football’s regulators. The Independent Football Regulator has contacted West Ham and sought urgent information about Sullivan’s suitability under owners’ and directors’ rules, while separate reporting said the Football Association had already imposed restrictions on his contact with West Ham’s women’s and youth teams since 2023 during a safeguarding investigation. A police review has also been reported in connection with the historic allegations.

West Ham said at the time that it understood none of the allegations related to the club or its operations. Even so, the timing is awkward for an ownership group trying to steady a club that is under financial pressure, may need to sell players and is targeting a rapid climb back to the top flight. Sullivan has been part of West Ham’s ownership since the 2010 takeover with David Gold, after both men sold their Birmingham City shares, and his business history stretches back to the 2007 sale of his Daily Sport and Sunday Sport stake for £40 million.