West Ham says board knew little of Sullivan safeguarding concerns

West Ham United has said its board knew little about safeguarding measures involving David Sullivan until the details surfaced in the media this week, sharpening scrutiny of how closely powerful football executives are monitored when complaints arise. The club said the 2023 measures were agreed with The Football Association and Newham LADO, were limited to a small number of staff under strict confidentiality, and were not known by the other board representatives of shareholders until they became public.

The club said the 2023 steps came from a single complaint to The FA and were separate from the newer allegations published on Monday, June 8, 2026. West Ham said the full board first heard that potential allegations might emerge about a month earlier, when Sullivan warned that claims could appear in the press, but gave no further detail. The scale and seriousness only became clear once the allegations were published.

Brady’s lawyers said she had no knowledge of the allegations made against Sullivan, West Ham’s long-time business partner. That detail adds to questions over how much of the club’s governance structure was insulated from safeguarding concerns, and how far accountability extended beyond a small group of insiders.

Sullivan, 77, stepped down as West Ham joint-chair and resigned as a director on June 6, 2026 after being made aware that serious historic allegations were about to be published, the club said. The allegations, reported by BBC Panorama and The Times, involve claims from seven women and date back to the 1980s and 1990s, when Sullivan owned the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport. He denies the claims and says they are false and defamatory.

The fallout has spread beyond the club’s boardroom. The Football Regulator has contacted West Ham seeking urgent information, while the UK government has said the allegations must be treated with the utmost seriousness. Boyle Sports, West Ham’s sponsor, said it was extremely concerned by the allegations.

West Ham said interim chief executive Karim Virani is handling day-to-day operations and stressed that none of the allegations relate to West Ham United or its operations. The episode has nevertheless exposed a familiar weakness in sport: safeguarding decisions can sit with a narrow circle, while wider oversight arrives only after public pressure forces the issue.