David Sullivan, the 77-year-old owner of West Ham United, has continued to attend the club's matches despite facing allegations of sexual misconduct from seven women and receiving recommendations from London Stadium officials to stay away.
Sullivan was present at London Stadium on Saturday to watch West Ham's 1-2 loss to Charlton Athletic. He was seen in the stands with his fiancée, model Ampika Pickston, 45. This appearance comes after London Stadium bosses had 'recommended' that Sullivan not attend home games, citing concerns over potential fan unrest following an investigation into the allegations. Reports from earlier in August indicated the stadium had requested advance notice of his visits to implement enhanced safety and operational measures.
The allegations of sexually exploitative and predatory behavior against Sullivan were detailed in a BBC Panorama and Times newspaper investigation earlier this year. Sullivan has denied all wrongdoing, stating he wants to focus on refuting what he calls "factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations concerning my personal life." He stepped down as joint chairman of West Ham shortly before the investigation aired.
An investigation found that Sullivan has been banned from contact with West Ham's women's and youth teams for the past three years due to safeguarding concerns. This stemmed from a historical allegation concerning his conduct that was reportedly raised with the FA in 2023. Sullivan has denied this, asserting he has never met any academy or women's player one-on-one during his 16 years with the club.
A spokesperson for London Stadium stated that following media reports regarding a safeguarding matter, the stadium sought further information to ensure its own safeguarding responsibilities were met. West Ham reportedly responded that the matter was investigated and the club did not consider there to be an ongoing safeguarding risk associated with Sullivan attending the stadium. However, London Stadium upheld its recommendation for him to stay away due to the potential for demonstrations and anti-social behavior by some spectators.
Sullivan is the Championship club's largest shareholder. He has previously expressed feeling "bullied" by online critics and was concerned about the club's transfer activity after no longer being directly involved in signing checks. In September, thousands gathered outside the directors' entrance to protest Sullivan's ownership.