Following the David Sullivan documentary, the Independent Football Regulator said it had contacted the authorities over “extremely serious allegations” and was seeking “urgent information”.
David Sullivan could be thrown out of football(Image: PA)
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan can be thrown out of football If investigation finds against him After the launch of the new regulator Initial Investigate claims that he preyed on women for sex.
Sullivan has denied all allegations. Seven women have made allegations millionaire Abusing their power and preying on them, in some cases when they were teenagers.
Independent soccer The regulator said it had “extensively” contacted West Ham serious allegationsAnd are seeking “urgent information” from Mr Sullivan about his suitability for the role.
77 year old, who Stepped down as joint-chairman and director of the club over the weekend To fight what he calls false claims, he strongly denies any wrongdoing. He remains its largest shareholder.
on monday BBC And The Times reported the accounts of seven women who claimed he engaged in sexual abuse and predatory behavior. Downing Street described the allegations as “disturbing” and said it was for the police to assess the claims.
An IFR spokesperson said: “These are extremely serious allegations. We have been in contact with West Ham on this matter and will use our statutory powers to seek immediate information from David Sullivan in relation to his suitability under the governance of our owners, directors and senior executives. We are unable to comment further at this stage.”
The claims go back decades when Mr Sullivan made his money from pornography, newspapers and football. They ranged from women who were in their late teens or early twenties to young models looking for work in their daily and Sunday sports newspapers.
It is expected that the IFR will use its statutory powers to determine whether there are any grounds for concern regarding Sullivan’s role at the club.
If the regulator finds such material, it could launch an investigation into the suitability of the West Ham co-owner.
This comes 45 years after allegations of his abuse of power first became public when a journalist went undercover following a woman’s complaint.
News of the World reporter Tina Dalgleish went undercover and answered an advertisement for “promotional entertainment work”. She wrote that Sullivan told her she would have to have sex as part of the job and that he needed to “judge her performance.”
She asked him to come upstairs and take off his underwear, she wrote in the 1981 article; she did so, but then got dressed and left.
In 1982 he was convicted of profiting from massage parlors in London where men were paying for sex. Sullivan spent 71 days behind bars after his sentence was reduced by nine months on appeal.
The Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday they were investigating a report relating to “alleged taking of indecent photographs and sexual abuse at locations in London and Essex in the 1980s”. It concerns an alleged victim and is being led by specialist detectives from the Met’s rape and serious sexual crimes team.
essex police An allegation of a non-recent sexual offense was investigated after a report from the Met was handed down in 2023.
As part of that investigation, other claims of non-recent sexual offenses committed in 2008 and 2021 were also reviewed, and preliminary investigative advice was taken from the Crown Prosecution Service. The force then decided that no further action would be taken.
A spokesman said it “takes allegations of this nature very seriously” and urged any alleged victims of sexual assault to report it to Essex Police.
The women’s articles published on Monday date back to the 1980s and 1990s, when Mr Sullivan owned the tabloid newspapers Daily Sport and Sunday Sport.
Over the weekend, Mr Sullivan said he “categorically rejects” all the claims. His lawyers said they would not make any further public comment when contacted after Monday’s report was published. He made millions from the pornography industry in the 1970s.
Mr Sullivan and business partner David Gould completed the takeover of West Ham in 2010 after selling them to Birmingham City, and brought with them Karen Brady as vice-chairman.
Sullivan remains the largest shareholder in London Stadium with a 38.8 percent stake.
The new independent football regulator (IFR) has the power to force unsuitable owners to sell clubs.
mirror Mr Sullivan’s legal team has been contacted.
Leave a Reply