David Sullivan has resigned as joint chairman of West Ham United with immediate effect, the club confirmed, in a development reported by Sky News. The Premier League club said it had been made aware of the publication of serious historic allegations regarding the billionaire businessman.
In its statement, West Ham stressed that it understood the matter had nothing to do with any of the club's operations. The announcement came suddenly on Saturday afternoon, with Sullivan stepping down from a role he had held at the heart of the club for many years.
Sullivan issued his own lengthy statement, in which he firmly rejected the claims. He said he had recently become aware that factually incorrect and entirely false decades-old allegations concerning his personal life were due to be broadcast and published, and that they had been sensationalised by the media.
He went on to address the nature of the claims more directly. After a lifetime spent building businesses in the adult industry, in which he said he had met thousands of women, he argued that it was sadly inevitable that a small number of improper conduct claims would be made against him. He categorically denied the claims.
The resignation is tied to a media investigation. Sky News reported that BBC Panorama and The Times have been working together on a joint inquiry into Sullivan's behaviour, with their findings due to be broadcast and published on Monday.
Sullivan has been a prominent figure in British business and sport for decades, having made millions from pornography, newspapers and football. He indicated that he had chosen to step down so that he would have the energy and freedom to fight the allegations being made against him.
The upheaval off the pitch comes at a difficult moment on it. Supporters had grown increasingly frustrated with his leadership over the years, and that anger intensified last month when West Ham were relegated from the Premier League. Further detail is expected in the coming days once the investigation is finally made public.