West Ham's Power Struggle as David Sullivan Returns

West Ham’s uneasy new season is set to collide with its old power structure on Saturday, with David Sullivan expected at London Stadium despite being urged to stay away.

The 77-year-old, who resigned as co-chair in June, intends to attend the Carabao Cup first-round tie against Portsmouth, even after London Stadium officials “recommended” to the club that he should not come to home games because of fears over fan unrest.

Sullivan, who still owns 38.8% of West Ham and remains the club’s major shareholder, has been accused by seven women of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour in a joint BBC Panorama and The Times investigation. He has categorically denied all allegations.

A stadium on edge

Saturday’s tie is no ordinary cup curtain-raiser. It will be West Ham’s first match since the allegations became public, and London Stadium has already moved to tighten control around Sullivan’s presence.

Stadium operators have asked for advance notice of any visit from him so they can put in place extra safety and operational measures. Their concern is not theoretical. Sullivan had long been a lightning rod for supporter anger over the club’s direction, and that was before West Ham dropped into the Championship last season for the first time since 2011.

Now the atmosphere promises to be even more charged. A crowd pushing record numbers for an EFL Cup first-round fixture is expected, with the club having sold 55,000 season tickets for the new campaign and Portsmouth bringing their own weight of history and support.

The pressure points are obvious: a high-stakes ownership saga, a fanbase already bruised by relegation, and a major shareholder under intense public scrutiny walking back into the arena.

Safeguarding bans and late revelations

The Panorama and Times investigation also revealed that Sullivan has been barred from contact with West Ham’s women’s and youth teams for the past three years on safeguarding grounds.

That restriction, imposed after a historical allegation about his conduct was raised with the Football Association in 2023, had not been publicly known. London Stadium itself only became aware of the ban through the BBC’s reporting. Sullivan has previously said the allegation that led to the safeguarding measures was false.

Those details have deepened the sense of unease around the club’s hierarchy. The issue is no longer confined to boardroom politics; it now touches safeguarding, governance and the trust supporters place in those running their club.

Stability on the pitch, turbulence off it

On the grass, West Ham have tried to steady themselves. Nuno Espirito Santo has committed his future as manager. Jarrod Bowen, now skipper, has done the same. After the trauma of relegation, there is at least a footballing spine to build around.

Off the pitch, the picture is anything but settled.

The ownership structure has lurched into a new phase of uncertainty. Vanessa Gold, daughter of former co-chair David Gold, had been in talks to sell part of her stake to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky. Instead, she ripped up that plan and agreed to sell her entire 25.1% shareholding to Amanda Staveley, best known as the public face of the Saudi Arabia-backed takeover at Newcastle.

That move alone would have redrawn the power map at West Ham. Then came another twist. Kretinsky has since sold a small slice of his own stake, dropping his holding below 25%.

That apparently minor adjustment could be decisive. Under West Ham’s pre-emption rights rules, existing shareholders get first refusal when shares are put up for sale. By trimming his stake, Kretinsky positions himself to buy Gold’s shares without triggering another clause that would force him to bid for the rest of the club.

If he exercises that right, he would become West Ham’s largest shareholder, eclipsing Sullivan but stopping short of a full takeover. The club would then sit under a new balance of power: Sullivan still present, still influential, but no longer the biggest figure on the share register.

A record crowd, and a reckoning

Against this backdrop, Portsmouth’s visit almost feels secondary, yet it will provide the stage on which all these tensions play out.

Kick-off is at 15:00 BST. The fixture is expected to set a new attendance record for an EFL Cup first-round tie. Tens of thousands of West Ham fans will stream back into a stadium that has seen European nights and relegation anguish in quick succession, now adding a fresh layer of controversy and corporate intrigue.

They come to watch a team trying to climb out of the Championship. They may also witness the latest act in a power struggle that could define what kind of club West Ham become next.