Brady says she knew nothing of allegations against Sullivan, reports deepen scrutiny

Karren Brady is under fresh scrutiny after her lawyers said she had “no knowledge” of the allegations against David Sullivan, even as reports laid out a chain of warnings, safeguarding measures and private decisions that had been in place for years. The central question is no longer only what was alleged, but who knew what, when they knew it, and why women’s football staff and supporters were not told more plainly.

Sullivan stepped down as West Ham joint-chair on 6 June 2026 after being made aware of the impending publication of serious historic allegations about his private life. He denied the claims, saying they were “entirely false.” But the wider picture now points back to 2023, when the Football Association opened a safeguarding investigation after receiving allegations about his conduct. That inquiry led to welfare measures at West Ham restricting Sullivan from contacting the club’s women’s and youth teams, and barring him from attending their matches.

Those restrictions were not publicly disclosed at the time. West Ham sources and the FA were involved in a safeguarding decision with the local authority, yet fans were told there was no investigation involving the club. That gap between internal action and public messaging has sharpened concern over oversight, accountability and the standards applied to leadership in the women’s game, where trust depends on clubs protecting players as well as protecting their own reputations.

Sullivan later described the arrangement as a “temporary” and “meaningless restriction,” saying it stemmed from an anonymous complaint about an event in 1981. He also said he had never met academy or women’s players one-to-one. BBC Panorama and The Times reported allegations involving seven women, six of them anonymised, while police inquiries into historic claims in 2008, 2021 and 2023 were reported to have been dropped without charge.

The episode lands hard because of West Ham’s ownership history. Sullivan made his fortune in pornography, newspapers and football, became joint chairman with David Gold in 2010, and brought Brady in as vice-chair the same year. He still owns 38.8% of the club. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called the latest revelations “utterly horrifying” and demanded an explanation from the FA, which says it operates a “robust safeguarding programme” across English football. For West Ham, the issue now is not just one man’s departure, but whether the club’s governance was strong enough to protect the people most at risk.