London Stadium and West Ham women's team not aware of David Sullivan contact ban

London Stadium and West Ham women's team not aware of David Sullivan contact ban8 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleHannah Price,Billy KenberandSophie SmithReutersDavid Sullivan stepped down as joint chairman of West Ham following a BBC Panorama and the Times investigationLondon Stadium - who own and operate the home of West Ham United - has raised concerns that they were not told about safeguarding restrictions relating to co-owner David Sullivan, the BBC has learned.They say they "would expect to be informed" on these matters so they could "assess risk" and ensure measures were in place to protect their staff, contractors and the public.The Football Association opened a safeguarding investigation in 2023 after receiving allegations about the conduct of Sullivan, the then co-chair of West Ham United.In response, a safeguarding group made up of the club, the FA and the local authority decided to prevent Sullivan from having access to his own club's youth and women's teams.The news came to light after an investigation by BBC Panorama and the Times revealed multiple women have accused Sullivan of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour, including pressuring them for sex during business meetings. Sullivan, 77, said he "categorically" denies the claims, which span the period when he made a fortune from pornography, newspapers and football.London Stadium have written to the Club, the FA and the relevant local authority to seek further information about the process and why they were not made aware.West Ham's women's team, and the Women's Super League, were also not aware of any restrictions on David Sullivan's access and interactions with the team.A West Ham spokesperson told the BBC that aside from parties directly involved in the safeguarding process, no other external parties were notified due to "best practice safeguarding agreed with independent external bodies".They added th...