David Sullivan attended West Ham's Carabao Cup first-round win over Portsmouth at the London Stadium on Saturday, against the venue's advice that he stay away from the club's home matches.
London Stadium's operators recommended Sullivan does not attend, citing the potential for demonstrations and anti-social behaviour among some spectators, though they said the club does not consider there to be an ongoing safeguarding risk associated with his presence. Sullivan, West Ham's major shareholder, stood down as joint chairman in June, shortly before an investigation into decades-old allegations concerning his personal conduct was made public. Seven women accused him of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour spanning decades; he has strongly denied the claims, calling them "factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations concerning my personal life."
There were no reports of unrest before or after kick-off. Portsmouth's travelling support, 9,000 strong, helped swell the attendance to the largest ever recorded for a Carabao Cup first-round match. Fans did chant against the board past the hour mark, with Sullivan, no longer a boardroom figure but still its most conspicuous target, watching on with his arms crossed.
West Ham came from behind to win 3-1. Adrian Segecic's deflected effort off Maximilian Kilman put Portsmouth ahead in the 33rd minute, before Valentin Castellanos equalised, teed up by Mohamadou Kante, and captain Jarrod Bowen put West Ham ahead two minutes later with a deflected effort from range. Castellanos added his second after the break, heading in Bowen's cross to seal a winning start to West Ham's promotion campaign, two months on from their relegation from the Premier League.