West Ham fans protested in their droves against their ownership ahead of their Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.
A large crowd – numbering at least hundreds – called for owner David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to resign over.
The supporters, led by the group Hammers United, believe the club is ‘going to die’ under the owners’ direction. Going into the game, West Ham sat 18th in the Premier League under manager Graham Potter.
It is perhaps a drastic message given that West Ham are into their 13th consecutive Premier League season and were Europa Conference League champions as recently as 2023.
But fans are disgruntled about the club’s perceived inability to kick on since leaving their beloved Upton Park/Boleyn Ground for the London Stadium in 2016. Sullivan said before the 2016-17 season that their aim was to win a domestic treble but they have finished no higher than sixth since then.
Fans marched with banners which read ‘Sold our soul: 15 years of destroying West Ham United’; ‘Lies, lies, lies… S&B out’; ‘No more BS’; and ‘Long live the Boleyn’ among others.
West Ham fans protested in their masses against their ownership before their Saturday game
Fans demanded the resignation of David Sullivan and Karren Brady before they played Crystal Palace
A large crowd gathered outside the London Stadium to kick off a series of protests
Some banners, seemingly not updated from previous protests, called for the exit of former co-owner David Gold, despite the fact he died in January 2023.
Sullivan and Brady have been in post at West Ham since 2010.
Hammers United said: ‘If we are going to get our club back our fanbase is going to have to fight. With Brady and Sullivan at the helm our club is going to die. It is in serious decline and dying a slow death.
‘With thousands of long-term, time-served fans walking away, another relegation fight beckoning and another early cup exit, we cannot allow this to happen on our watch.
‘We must show the world that Brady and Sullivan’s position is untenable and they must step aside for the good of the club.
‘They must have no more involvement in the running of West Ham United, which must be handed over to professionals with the expertise and drive to move the club forward.’
The protest comes just two weeks after the fans’ advisory board issued a vote of no confidence in the club’s leadership.
Hammers United are also calling for a boycott of their clash with Brentford on October 20.
Former co-owner David Gold, who died in 2023, was referenced as ‘G’ in some banners
Sullivan and Brady were in attendance for the clash at the London Stadium on Saturday
The Hammers faithful have held action before. Back in 2020, Hammers United led a protest against David Sullivan and David Gold, who died in 2023, branding their reign ‘ten years of failure’.
While the London Stadium move has not heralded in a golden era of dominance, West Ham have been competitive and enjoyed European adventures under Slaven Bilic and David Moyes.
They finished in the top half in three of Moyes’ four full seasons in charge between 2020 and 2024, winning the Europa Conference League in 2023 and going deep in the Europa League either side of that year.
However, their shaky start to the season after a lack of investment in the summer has fans concerned they could drop into the Championship.
