Latest Sports Stories

Football News

Tara Warren of the Independent Football Regulator was an executive director at West Ham until DecemberA nonexecutive director of the Independent Football Regulator will not be involved in the inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct against David Sullivan to avoid a conflict of interest over her links to West Ham.Tara Warren was an executive director of West Ham United and the club’s women’s team before joining the football regulator.Sullivan announced his resignation as a director and co-chair of West Ham last Saturday, before the publication of a joint investigation in which seven women accused him of abusing his power and preying on them for sex, in claims that date back to the 1980s and 1990s.However, the 77-year-old remains the club’s largest shareholder, with a 38.8% stake, and the regulator is seeking clarity around the situation before launching a potential investigation. English football’s regulatory body has called the allegations “extremely serious” and has been given statutory powers to force a club owner to divest their shares should they be deemed unsuitable.Sullivan has faced restrictions on his contact with West Ham’s women and youth teams since 2023 because of a safeguarding investigation by the Football Association. He has described the restriction as “meaningless and did not amount to a ban” and that he accepted it “for a quiet life”.West Ham issued a statement on Thursday saying that the safeguarding measures followed the club’s safeguarding policy, as agreed with the FA and the local authority. The club added that “only a very limited number of West Ham United employees were informed of these measures”. The Guardian reported this week that the women’s team were now aware of the restrictions imposed on Sullivan.Warren, who left the club last December, was appointed as a director of the women’s team in February 2023. She joined West Ham as a marketing director in 2009 and became an executive director in 2014. Warren was a close ally of Karren Brady, who stepped down as West Ham’s vice-chair in April.Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, appointed Warren as one of five non-executive directors of the regulator in February. The Guardian asked the Independent Football Regulator and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport about a potential conflict of interest and if Warren’s previous links with West Ham would see her recused from any investigation into Sullivan.A spokesperson for the regulator said: “The IFR has robust policies and processes in place to ensure any interests that may conflict with the responsibilities of board members are known and managed accordingly. Where a board member does have a conflict or perceived conflict of interest, they will be recused from any decision making role relating to the matter.”Warren denies being aware of the allegations made against Sullivan before their publication this week. Through his lawyers, Sullivan has denied the allegations against him.Sullivan is believed to be open to selling his stake. Daniel Kretinsky, West Ham’s second largest shareholder, is interested in taking a majority stake. The Czech billionaire could do so by buying the Gold family’s 25% stake.

Football News

Sources say it would have breached regulations to tell WSL or team details of safeguarding investigation into SullivanNeither the Women’s Super League nor West Ham United women’s team were aware of the restrictions placed on David Sullivan’s interaction with the team, the Guardian has learned. Sullivan, who is West Ham’s largest shareholder, has faced restrictions on his contact with the women’s team and their youth teams since 2023 because of a safeguarding investigation.The Football Association opened an inquiry in the same year after receiving a complaint, which the Guardian understands was an allegation of sexual misconduct unrelated to football. In a joint investigation by the BBC and the Times, seven women accused the 77-year-old of predatory behaviour, with alleged incidents dating back to the 1980s. Through his lawyers, Sullivan has said he denies the allegations. Sources close to the playing squad at West Ham’s women’s side have said the team are appalled by the allegations, which they were not aware of before the story broke this week.Separate sources, however, said that it would have been a breach of the local authority’s safeguarding regulations for the league, players or staff to be informed of the details of an ongoing safeguarding case.A West Ham spokesperson said on Wednesday that the club had “clear and robust safeguarding measures in place, measures that are independently assessed and audited on an annual basis”, but the club could not comment on individual cases. An FA spokesperson said: “We take all safeguarding allegations and concerns very seriously, and we investigate each case within our jurisdiction thoroughly. “The aim of our process is to safeguard children and adults at risk, and we are unable to comment on individual safeguarding matters, including cases that remain active.”Sullivan resigned as a West Ham director and co-chair of the recently relegated men’s Championship club before the publication of the claims about his conduct. Sullivan has never been listed as a director of West Ham United Women Football Club Limited on Companies House. His son, Jack Sullivan, was a director of the women’s club’s company between November 2017 and May 2021 and was the focus of a behind the scenes BBC documentary that followed the women’s team’s progress, titled Britain’s youngest football boss, in 2018. West Ham finished 10th in this season’s WSL, a division run independently by WSL Football since 2024 after leaving the FA, which had organised the division since 2011. David Sullivan said in a statement on Wednesday: “I wish to clarify recent media reports regarding a negotiated agreement with the FA, which has been inaccurately described as a disciplinary ‘ban’. In my entire 16 years at [West Ham], I have never met any academy or women’s team players [one to one], therefore a negotiated and temporary agreement with the FA not to do so until the FA resolved an outstanding complaint in relation to a single anonymous complaint regarding an event in 1981 was entered into. “The complaint had nothing to do [with] my time in football and it never happened. I saw it as a meaningless restriction, as it didn’t impact on my work in any way, therefore I accepted it for a quiet life.”

Football News

‘Temporary agreement’ in place since Football Association safeguarding investigation began three years agoDavid Sullivan has faced restrictions on his contact with West Ham’s women’s and youth teams since 2023 because of a safeguarding investigation.The Football Association began an inquiry three years ago after receiving a complaint, which the Guardian understands involves an allegation of sexual misconduct unrelated to football.Sullivan, the club’s largest shareholder, said through lawyers on Wednesday morning that the restrictions were part of a “negotiated and temporary agreement”. The 77-year-old billionaire added that the safeguarding investigation related to a “single anonymous complaint” from an “event in 1981” that he says “never happened”.Sullivan announced his resignation as a director and co-chair of West Ham on Saturday, before the publication of a joint investigation by the BBC and the Times in which seven women accused him of abusing his power and preying on them for sex, in claims that date back to the 1980s and 1990s.He retains his financial stake in the east London club, though he could be forced to sell his shares by the football regulator, which described the allegations as “extremely serious”.Three women claimed that the former pornography baron had abused his power as the owner of the Daily and Sunday Sport newspapers to prey on them for sex when they were seeking work. A further four accused him of exploitative and predatory behaviour, including allegations he had tried to pressure them into sex during business meetings.Through his lawyers, Sullivan has “categorically” denied the allegations, which the BBC and Times said involved women then in their late teens and early 20s.Sullivan said: “After a lifetime spent building businesses in the adult industry, in which I have met thousands of women, it is sadly inevitable that a small number of improper conduct claims are being made against me.”In a new statement issued on Wednesday morning, Sullivan said: “I wish to clarify recent media reports regarding a negotiated agreement with the Football Association (FA), which has been inaccurately described as a disciplinary ‘ban’.“In my entire 16 years at [West Ham] I have never met any academy or women’s team players [one to one], therefore a negotiated and temporary agreement with the FA not to do so until the FA resolved an outstanding complaint in relation to a single anonymous complaint regarding an event in 1981 was entered into.“The complaint had nothing to do [with] my time in football and it never happened. I saw it as a meaningless restriction, as it didn’t impact on my work in any way, therefore I accepted it for a quiet life.”On Tuesday evening, Lisa Nandy, the culture, media and sport secretary, described the latest revelations as “utterly horrifying”.She said: “If it is the case that an investigation concluded that there were sufficiently serious allegations to warrant a ban on contact with the youth and women’s teams, then the FA must explain this decision and why no further action was taken. I expect a full and urgent explanation from the FA and West Ham as to how these incredibly serious allegations have been handled.”A spokesperson for West Ham said the club could not comment on individual cases but that it had “clear and robust safeguarding measures in place, measures that are independently assessed and audited on an annual basis”.The FA has not clarified whether the safeguarding investigation has been resolved. A spokesperson said: “We take all safeguarding allegations and concerns very seriously, and we investigate each case within our jurisdiction thoroughly.“Appropriate action is always taken against individuals who pose or may pose a risk of harm to children and adults at risk in football. This includes issuing appropriate suspensions in accordance with our safeguarding regulations.“The aim of our process is to safeguard children and adults at risk, and we are unable to comment on individual safeguarding matters, including cases that remain active.”