West Ham is about to be taken over by a billionaire after co-chairman David Sullivan decided to step down.
Reports say Daniel Kretinsky, who owns Royal Mail, might soon become the main shareholder of West Ham United. West Ham was relegated from the Premier League on the last day of the 2025-26 season, and things got more complicated when co-chairman David Sullivan stepped down.
Sullivan resigned on Saturday morning, saying his decision came after learning that old allegations about his private life were about to be made public. Daniel Kretinsky, a billionaire businessman from the Czech Republic whose company EP Group took over Royal Mail’s holding company last year, already owns part of West Ham and is said to be ready to increase his share.
According to Graeme Bailey from TEAMtalk, Kretinsky is still fully behind the club despite the relegation and wants to have a bigger role and long-term involvement at the London Stadium. Bailey adds that Kretinsky is confident West Ham can quickly get back to the Premier League and was thinking about raising his share to 40% even before Sullivan resigned.
Sullivan, who had been co-chairman at West Ham for 16 years and before that at Birmingham City, announced his resignation in a statement on West Ham’s website. He said he recently found out that false and old claims about his personal life were going to be shared publicly. He denied these claims strongly and said the media had exaggerated the story.
Sullivan explained he has spent many years working in the adult industry and has met thousands of women, so it’s sadly not surprising that a few accusations have come up — but he denies them all. He described himself as a private person and said anyone who really knows him, not just the media’s version, knows who he truly is. He also said he hasn’t been given a clear explanation of how these claims were checked before being published.
Sullivan became West Ham’s co-chairman with David Gold in 2010 and supported the club’s move to the London Stadium. He became the biggest shareholder after Gold passed away in 2023. He added that none of these allegations have anything to do with his long career in football.
After careful thought and with a heavy heart, Sullivan decided to step down immediately as Joint-Chair and Director of West Ham United FC.