What's happened
West Ham United faces ongoing upheaval off the pitch as co-owner David Sullivan remains the club’s largest shareholder, amid a potential ownership change led by Amanda Staveley. London Stadium has recommended Sullivan stay away from home games due to safety concerns as the team returns to competition after relegation and amid safeguarding allegations.
What's behind the headline?
Analysis
- This update centers on the power struggle at West Ham as Sullivan’s position is unsettled while external investors reposition ownership. The narrative is shifting from the safeguarding allegations to a broader corporate reshaping, with Amanda Staveley pushing to consolidate control and Kretinsky weighing his options.
- The readers should watch for how the ownership changes affect transfer strategy and on-pitch planning for a potential instant return to the Premier League.
- The surrounding media coverage underscores the stakes: fan unrest, stadium safety measures, and the precedence of governance in football clubs with controversial owners.
How we got here
Sullivan has resigned as co-chair following a Panorama/Times probe alleging sexually predatory conduct by seven women. He denies the claims. Vanessa Gold plans to sell her 25.1% stake to Amanda Staveley’s consortium; Daniel Kretinsky’s stake remains a factor. West Ham were relegated last season and are returning to the Championship. The first-round Carabao Cup match against Portsmouth marks a test for the club’s leadership amid the controversy.
Our analysis
BBC Business: reporting on Sullivan’s resignation and safeguarding bans; Independent: details on ownership stake changes and denials; BBC Panorama/Times investigation coverage; Guardian/Independent pieces on Livesey and media coverage. Direct quotes are provided by the respective outlets to illustrate the ongoing debate.
Go deeper
- What will the ownership change mean for West Ham’s transfer strategy?
- How will the SAFEGUARDING concerns influence attendance and operations this season?
- When will Amanda Staveley’s consortium finalize its stake and what does that imply for the club’s leadership?
More on these topics
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The Times - Newspaper
The Times is a British daily national newspaper based in London, England. It began in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register, adopting its current name on 1 January 1788.
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David Sullivan - Wikimedia disambiguation page
David or Dave Sullivan may refer to: Dave Sullivan (boxer) (1877–1929), Irish-American boxer David Sullivan (labor leader) (1904–1976), American labor leader David O. Sullivan (c. 1924–2012), American intelligence officer David Sullivan (businessman) (born 1949), British pornographic magazine publisher and football club owner David B. Sullivan (born 1953), member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Dave Sullivan (wrestler) (born 1960), American professional wrestler Dave Sullivan (California politician), mayor of Huntington Beach, California Dave Sullivan (Illinois politician) (born 1964), former Illinois State Senator David Sullivan (footballer) (born 1966), Australian rules footballer David Sullivan (actor) (born 1977), American film and television actor David Sullivan (judge), American justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi
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West Ham United F.C. - Football club
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stratford, East London. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.
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London Stadium - Multi-purpose stadium at the London Olympic Park, England, United Kingdom
London Stadium (formerly and also known as the Olympic Stadium and the Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park) is a multi-purpose outdoor stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the Stratford district of London. It is located in the Lower Lea Valley, 6 miles (10 km) east of central London. The stadium was constructed specifically for the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics, serving as the athletics venue and as the site of their opening and closing ceremonies. Following the Games, it was rebuilt for multi-purpose use and now serves primarily as the home of EFL Championship club West Ham United, who became anchor tenants from the 2016 season. UK athletics are the other tenants in the stadium and host a round of the World Athletics Diamond League each year, known as the London Grand Prix, sometimes called the London Anniversary Games. Land preparation for the stadium began in mid-2007, with the construction officially starting on 22 May 2008. The stadium held 80,000 people for the Olympics and the Paralympic games, before it was remodelled between 2013 and 2015 with 66,000 seats, but with capacity for football limited to 60,000 under the terms of the lease. The decision...
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British Broadcasting Corporation - Broadcasting company
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Headquartered at Broadcasting House in Westminster, London, it is the world's oldest national broadcaster, and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees.
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Portsmouth FC - Association football club in Portsmouth, England
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Amanda Louise Staveley - British businesswoman
Amanda Louise Staveley is a British businesswoman notable chiefly for her connections with Middle Eastern investors. In 2008 Staveley played a prominent role in the investment of £7.3 billion in Barclays by the ruling families of Abu Dhabi and Qatar, and
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Association Football Federation - Governing body of association football (soccer)
A football association, also known as a football federation, soccer federation, or soccer association, is a governing body for association football. Many of them are members of the sport's regional bodies such as UEFA and CONMEBOL and the world governing body, FIFA. A small number have not yet applied for or been granted entry to these higher bodies. Below is a list of football associations for which there are articles.
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BBC News - Broadcasting corporation
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world.
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Portsmouth - City in Hampshire, England, United Kingdom
Portsmouth ( PORTS-məth) is a port city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in England not located primarily on the mainland. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) south-east of Southampton, 50 miles (80 km) west of Brighton and Hove and 74 miles (119 km) south-west of London. With a population last recorded at 208,100, it is the most densely populated city in the United Kingdom. Portsmouth forms part of the South Hampshire urban area with Gosport, Fareham, Havant, Eastleigh and Southampton. Portsmouth's history can be traced to Roman times and it has contained a significant Royal Navy dockyard and base for centuries. Portsmouth was founded c. 1180 by Anglo-Norman merchant Jean de Gisors in the south-west area of Portsea Island, a location now known as Old Portsmouth. Around this time, de Gisors ordered the construction of a chapel dedicated to St Thomas Becket. This became a parish church by the 14th century. Portsmouth was established as a town with a royal charter on 2 May 1194. The city is home to the first drydock ever built. It was constructed...
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Jarrod Bowen - Footballer
Jarrod Bowen is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club West Ham United. He has previously played for Hereford United and Hull City.
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Newcastle United F.C. - Football club
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, that plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football.
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Premier League - Football league
The Premier League, often referred to as the English Premier League or the EPL outside England, is the top level of the English football league system.
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David Sullivan - Welsh businessman
David Sullivan (born 5 February 1949) is a British businessman, who has had interests in pornography, sex shops, tabloid newspapers, property and football clubs. He initially made his fortune in the pornography industry in the 1970s and 1980s. From 1986 to 2007, he owned the tabloid newspapers the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport, which he sold for £40 million. From 2010 to 2026 he was the chairman of the English football club West Ham United, alongside his business partner David Gold until Gold's death in 2023. He remains the club's largest single shareholder. Sullivan and Gold were previously joint-chairmen of Birmingham City. According to the 2025 Sunday Times Rich List, Sullivan is worth £1.118 billion.