Football regulator contacts West Ham over 'serious allegations' against Sullivan

Warning: this story includes descriptions of alleged sexual misconduct and explicit language

The Independent Football Regulator has contacted West Ham over "extremely serious allegations" raised about the club's co-owner David Sullivan and said it is seeking "urgent information" from him about his suitability for the role.

Multiple women have accused the billionaire of abusing his power and preying on them for sex, in some cases when they were in their late teens.

Sullivan has "categorically" denied the claims, uncovered by BBC Panorama and the Times.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's spokesperson called the women's accounts "harrowing".

The Metropolitan Police said it takes such allegations "extremely seriously" and "any information or evidence provided to police will be assessed and the appropriate enquiries carried out".

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said the "deeply concerning" allegations must be "treated with the utmost seriousness" and "investigated by the relevant authorities".

The allegations span decades when Sullivan made a fortune from pornography, newspapers and football.

All come from women who were in their late teens or early twenties and were young models seeking work at Sullivan's Daily and Sunday Sport newspapers.

The IFR was created in July 2025 with the aim of protecting and promoting the financial soundness of football clubs and safeguarding the heritage of football. It has powers to take action against "unsuitable owners and directors", which it says enables it to act when clubs are in "crisis".

The regulator is expected to use its statutory powers to determine whether there are grounds for concern regarding Sullivan's role in the club. If it does come into possession of such material, it may open an investigation into the West Ham co-owner's suitability.

Factors the IFR may consider when assessing a person's suitability include whether they have the requisite honesty and integrity.

A DCMS spokesperson said: "These deeply concerning allegations must be treated with the utmost seriousness and be investigated by the relevant authorities, with victims given the support they need.

"The government stands strongly against any form of harassment or abuse of power in the workplace and is working across industries to stamp it out and build an environment where people feel safe and able to challenge inappropriate chamber."

One woman, Florence (not her real name), said she felt forced to have sex with Sullivan in 1999 when she went to his Essex mansion for a business meeting.

Florence said she was introduced to Sullivan in 1999 at a business meeting at his home arranged by the Sport's editor-in-chief at the time, Tony Livesey - now a BBC Radio 5 Live presenter.

Sullivan looked at her modelling portfolio, she said, and then asked her to strip down to her underwear, which she did.

"You'll be in all the magazines. I can give you covers, I can give you centrefolds, and you'll be one of my Sport girls," she recalled him saying.

Florence said she panicked and told him her boyfriend was outside and that she was on her period, but Sullivan was undeterred.

"This is the bit that will haunt me forever," she said. "He lifted his pinky in the air - his little finger - and he went, it's all right, I'll only put it in a little bit."

He then manoeuvred her into a bedroom, she said. She did not want to have sex, she told us, but she cannot be sure how she expressed it and whether he got the message.

She was in "pure panic mode", Florence said, and she is "99.999999%" sure that she was telling him: "I don't want to, I don't want to." But she said she does not know how loud she said that.

Sullivan pulled his jogging bottoms down and then penetrated her, Florence said.

Lawyers for David Sullivan said Florence's account is "implausible" given the layout of his house.

Livesey said he had "no recollection" of putting a woman on the phone to speak to Sullivan as Florence described and that it had not been part of his role to introduce anyone to him.

He said he had "great sympathy for a woman who may have become a victim", but rejected any suggestion that he had played "any role whatsoever in that scenario" and said he found the allegation "abhorrent".

On Monday, a BBC spokesperson said Livesey has stepped back from presenting his radio show.

"The Panorama investigation included allegations about Tony Livesey which we take seriously," the spokesperson said.

"We also note Tony has firmly denied the allegations. He has asked to step back from presenting his radio show for a short period and we will be considering the matters raised by the programme."

Sacha Wall, the only alleged victim of Sullivan's predatory behaviour who wanted to be named by BBC Panorama and the Times, was 24-years-old when she went to Sullivan's house for a meeting in 1998.

Sullivan began looking through her modelling portfolio before telling her to follow him upstairs and to undress to her underwear, she said.

Wall said Sullivan told her a well-known glamour model was one of his "special friends" and she "could have the same help" if she also became "one of his special friends".

She said she told him: "If you think I'm going to sleep with you to get in the paper, you've got another thing coming."

"He looked very shocked as I said that," she continued. "And then said, what, not even a blow job?"

She said she told him "no" and tried to leave the room but discovered he had locked the door.

Wall recalled being "really scared" and said she swore and demanded he open the door, while Sullivan told her to calm down. She said he shouted "you're going about it the hard way" and unlocked the door, before she ran downstairs and out the house.

Sullivan stepped down from his role as joint chairman of West Ham over the weekend, ahead of the allegations being published on Monday.

In his resignation statement, he said he wanted to focus on fighting "factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations" concerning his personal life, describing the investigation by Panorama and the Times as "fundamentally unfair".

He said that "after a lifetime spent building businesses in the adult industry in which I have met thousands of women, it is sadly inevitable that a small number of improper conduct claims are being made against me".

West Ham also issued a statement, saying Sullivan had denied any "illegal conduct" and was leaving "in order to avoid disruption to the club while he addresses the matter privately".

The 77-year-old had held the joint chairman position for 16 years, and was the club's largest single shareholder following the death of his business partner, David Gold, in January 2023.