Overview
- Sullivan, who stepped down as West Ham co-chair in June, attended the Carabao Cup tie against Portsmouth on Saturday despite a London Stadium recommendation that he stay away and a request for advance notice of any visit.
- The London Stadium told the BBC it asked West Ham to give prior warning of Sullivan visits so it could put extra safety and operational measures in place because of concerns about fan unrest.
- Investigative reports by BBC Panorama and The Times say seven women accused Sullivan of sexually exploitative behaviour and that the FA reached an arrangement restricting his contact with the club's women’s and youth teams, allegations he denies.
- Ownership tensions continue as Vanessa Gold has agreed to sell a 25.1% stake to a Staveley-led consortium and Daniel Kretinsky reduced his holding below 25% to preserve pre-emption matching options that could reshape who controls the board.
- The combination of large crowds after heavy season-ticket sales, active fan protests, and the ongoing safeguarding and ownership issues raises short-term reputational and operational pressure on West Ham's management and matchday planning.