David Sullivan agreed to stay away from West Ham women and youth teams after historic complaint

David Sullivan agreed to stay away from West Ham’s women and youth teams on a one-on-one basis after a historic complaint was made to the Football Association, the former joint chair has confirmed.

Sullivan, who resigned from West Ham last week, said he entered a “negotiated and temporary agreement” with the FA not to meet academy or women’s players alone while the governing body resolved a complaint relating to a single anonymous allegation about an incident in 1981. He insists the restriction was not a formal “ban” and that the event at the centre of the complaint never took place.

“In my entire 16 years at WHU I have never met any academy or women’s team players 1-2-1,” Sullivan told The Independent. “I saw it as a meaningless restriction, as it didn’t impact on my work in any way, therefore I accepted it for a quiet life.”

The disclosure follows reporting by the BBC and The Times that the FA opened a safeguarding investigation in 2023 after receiving allegations about Sullivan’s conduct. Those outlets also published accounts from seven women who claimed Sullivan engaged in sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour during the 1980s and 1990s, when he owned tabloid newspapers the Daily Sport and the Sunday Sport. The claims centre on allegations that he pressured young or aspiring models in their late teens or early twenties. Sullivan said the claims are “entirely false” and that he “categorically denies” them.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy responded on Tuesday evening, calling the revelations “utterly horrifying” and demanding answers from both the FA and West Ham. “If it is the case that an investigation concluded that there were sufficiently serious allegations to warrant a ban on contact with the youth and women’s teams, then the FA must explain this decision and why no further action was taken,” she said. “I expect a full and urgent explanation from the FA and West Ham as to how these incredibly serious allegations have been handled.”

It is understood that both West Ham United and the FA refute Nandy’s characterisation of events.

The FA said it was unable to comment on individual safeguarding cases but stated it takes all allegations “very seriously” and works closely with police.