West Ham say ‘very limited number’ of staff knew about secret David Sullivan ban

West Ham has confirmed that only a "very limited number" of staff were privy to a 2023 decision to prohibit co-owner and former chairman David Sullivan from engaging with the club’s youth and women’s teams. The club’s first public statement since the restrictions came to light on Tuesday cited "confidentiality rules" as the reason for the internal secrecy, following concerns raised by the owners of the London Stadium about not being informed. The club asserted that Mr Sullivan, who stepped down as joint-chairman on Saturday ahead of anticipated publications regarding historic misconduct allegations, was the sole board member aware of these restrictions. These measures stemmed from a complaint lodged with the Football Association three years ago. The decision to limit access was a joint action taken by West Ham, the FA, and the Newham Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), which serves as the local authority's safeguarding arm. West Ham released a statement on Sullivan's ban on Friday (PA) It has been clarified that this complaint is distinct from the allegations published last week, which emerged from a joint investigation by the BBC and The Times. These more recent claims pertain to Mr Sullivan’s conduct while working in the adult industry during the 1990s. West Ham stated that the full board only became aware of these latter allegations approximately a month ago, when Mr Sullivan himself informed them. Mr Sullivan has denied the allegations made against him and has indicated his intention to pursue legal action. In their statement, the club said: "The club wishes to make it clear that the safeguarding measures put in place in 2023 in relation to David Sullivan strictly followed West Ham’s stringent safeguarding policies, as agreed with the FA and the Newham LADO." They continued: "This meant that only a very limited number of West Ham employees were informed of these measures, and these individuals were bound by strict confidentiality rules." "To be clear, none of the board representatives of shareholders other than David Sullivan were aware of these measures until they were reported in the media this week. These safeguarding measures were a result of a single complaint to the FA and are not linked to the serious further allegations published in the media this week." Regarding the more recent claims, the club added: "As it relates to the serious allegations published by the media this week regarding David Sullivan, the full board was first made aware of potential allegations about a month ago, when Mr Sullivan advised the board that some allegations may appear in the media without providing any further detail as to the severity of the allegations." "The details and severity of the allegations, which Mr Sullivan denies, only became apparent when they were made public on Monday."