David Sullivan attends West Ham’s League Cup match against Portsmouth
Former West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan attended West Ham’s League Cup victory against Portsmouth despite advice not to, reports BritPanorama.
Sullivan resigned as co-chair in June following a joint investigation by BBC Panorama and The Times, where seven women made allegations of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour against him. He categorically denies the allegations.
A spokesperson for the London Stadium told the BBC on Monday that they had “recommended” to West Ham that Sullivan does not attend matches. West Ham officials are understood to have requested advance notice of Sullivan’s attendance, as he retains a 38.8 per cent stake in the club.
West Ham secured a convincing 3-1 victory against Portsmouth, coming from behind to win. Taty Castellanos scored twice, while Jarrod Bowen added another, ensuring the Irons progressed to the next round. Despite Sullivan’s presence in the stands, manager Nuno Espirito Santos insisted the team remained focused on the pitch. He stated: “The noise that comes from outside cannot distract us. We’re going to find a lot of noise, so we need to focus on the game, do our job, and the players did.”
Nuno expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, noting that starting with a win at home, in front of 50,000 fans, was good for morale. They are preparing for their Championship campaign after relegation from the Premier League last season, marking the end of a 15-year stint in the top flight. West Ham is scheduled to begin their league campaign away to Burnley, another club that faced relegation.
Reflecting on the match, Nuno added: “This has to be a lesson for us to understand what the game requires. We didn’t go in the flow of the game. We only started really playing the way we wanted to after we scored.” He emphasized the need for improvement, stating, “From minute one, we must just try to do better.”
As the Irons navigate their new reality in the Championship, their focus will remain on rebuilding and maintaining performance, showing resilience in the face of off-pitch controversies.
