Sullivan expected to ignore safety advice and attend West Ham game

West Ham are expecting David Sullivan to attend Saturday's Carabao Cup first‑round match against Portsmouth, despite safety advice urging him to stay away. Sullivan, 77, resigned from his role as co‑chair of West Ham in June after a joint investigation by BBC Panorama and The Times revealed that seven women have accused him of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour. He has categorically denied the allegations. On Monday, a London Stadium spokesperson told BBC News the venue had "recommended" that West Ham keep Sullivan away from matches because of concerns over fan unrest. The stadium has also requested advance notice of any planned visits by the major shareholder, who retains a 38.8 % stake in the club, so that additional security and operational measures can be put in place. The fixture against Portsmouth will be the first West Ham game played since the allegations against Sullivan were first reported. The Panorama and Times probe further showed that Sullivan has been barred from any contact with West Ham's women's and youth teams for the past three years on safeguarding grounds; London Stadium said it was unaware of those restrictions until the BBC's report. Sullivan received a ban after a historical allegation concerning his conduct was referred to the Football Association in 2023. He has previously described that claim as false. He had already faced aggravated fan abuse over his stewardship of the club, which was relegated to the Championship last season for the first time since 2011. Although the team has steadied on the pitch — with manager Nuno Espirito Santo and captain Jarrod Bowen pledging their futures to the club — significant uncertainty remains off the field. Vanessa Gold, daughter of Sullivan's late business partner and former West Ham co‑chair David, withdrew from a deal to sell part of her holding to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky. Instead she agreed to sell her full 25.1 % stake to Amanda Staveley, the nominal figurehead of the Saudi Arabia‑backed Newcastle takeover. Kretinsky has since off‑loaded a small portion of his own stake, reducing his holding below 25 %. Under West Ham's pre‑emption rights, which give existing shareholders the first right to buy shares when they become available, he could now purchase Gold's shares. Doing so would make him the club's largest shareholder without triggering a provision that would compel him to acquire the remainder of the team. The match against Championship side Portsmouth, scheduled for 15:00 BST on Saturday, is expected to set an attendance record for an EFL Cup first‑round tie, with West Ham having already sold 55,000 season tickets for the current campaign.