David Sullivan announced Saturday he had stepped down from his role as joint-chair of West Ham with immediate effect.

The 77-year-old is leaving his role of 16 years to fight “false allegations” about his private life.

Sullivan, who built a business empire from owning pornographic magazines and sex shops, said: ” I have recently become aware that factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations concerning my personal life are due to be broadcast and published.”

He added: “The false allegations levelled against me have been sensationalised by the media. 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. I categorically deny these claims.”

Sullivan and business partner David Gold completed their takeover of West Ham after selling Birmingham, and brought Karren Brady with them as vice-chairman.

Their tenure oversaw the unpopular move from Upton Park to the former Olympic Stadium in 2016, making the three of them the focus of numerous anti-board protests among club’s supporters even before the club were relegated from the Premier League this season.

“I am a private man, and those who personally and professionally know the real David Sullivan, not the caricature invented by the tabloids, know exactly who I am and what I stand for,” Sullivan added in his statement.

“This has been an incredibly painful decision to make, but it is one made out of love, respect, and responsibility toward a football club and a fan base that deserve absolute unity and focus moving forward.”

West Ham said they will give “an update on the future structure of the board of directors in due course, but will make no further comment at this time”.

Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky bought a 27 percent stake in the London club in 2021 and is reportedly set to increase his holding.

The draws for the 2025/2026 Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership Super Six have been concluded, setting up a highly competitive finale as Nigeria’s top six women’s clubs prepare to battle for the league title at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Hosted in Port Harcourt for the first time, it will be played in a round-robin format, with each team playing five matches.

At the end of the competition, the club with the highest points will be crowned champions and will represent Nigeria in the WAFU-B qualifiers for the CAF Women’s Champions League.

The opening round of matches will see Edo Queens FC face Nasarawa Amazons, while Rivers Angels FC take on FC Robo Queens, and Bayelsa Queens FC will square up against Abia Angels FC.

Match Day One will kick off with Edo Queens FC against Nasarawa Amazons in what is expected to be a keenly contested opener. Rivers Angels FC will then battle FC Robo Queens in a high-profile clash involving the host team, while Bayelsa Queens FC will complete the first round of fixtures against Abia Angels FC.

On Match Day Two, Abia Angels FC will take on Rivers Angels FC, Nasarawa Amazons will face Bayelsa Queens FC, and FC Robo Queens will confront Edo Queens FC.

Match Day Three will feature Edo Queens FC against Abia Angels FC, Rivers Angels FC against Bayelsa Queens FC, and FC Robo Queens against Nasarawa Amazons.

Match Day Four will see FC Robo Queens play Bayelsa Queens FC, Abia Angels FC meet Nasarawa Amazons, and Edo Queens FC clash with Rivers Angels FC.

Match Day Five will round off the group stage fixtures with Nasarawa Amazons versus Rivers Angels FC, Abia Angels FC against FC Robo Queens, and Bayelsa Queens FC facing Edo Queens FC.

The tournament is expected to deliver a tightly contested finish to the NWFL season as Nigeria’s top women’s football clubs compete for domestic supremacy and continental qualification.

Ahead of the tournament, scheduled to kick off on Saturday, June 6, and running through June 14, the Chief Operating Officer of the Nigeria Women Football League, Modupe Shabi, congratulated the qualified teams and assured them of a fair and level playing ground.

Speaking at the draw ceremony in Port Harcourt, Shabi commended the Rivers State Government for hosting the tournament and reaffirmed the league’s commitment to transparency and competitiveness.

Officials and coaches present at the draw, including Rivers Angels coach Tosan Blankson, Edo Queens General Manager Rollanson Odeh, and Nasarawa Amazons assistant coach Michael Oluwaseyi, expressed satisfaction with the fixtures and confidence in their teams’ chances.

Iran’s World Cup football players have been granted visas to enter the United States, a White ⁠House official told Reuters on Friday, just 10 days before their first match in Los Angeles amid a conflict between the two countries.

Iran’s ambassador to ‌Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, said late on Thursday the squad had still not received their US visas but ‌these were granted overnight, the White House official said.

A spokesman for Iran’s ‌World Cup federation could not immediately be reached for comment.

The US had not yet ‌issued visas to some members of the Iran team’s technical and administrative staff, ‌the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Friday.

“Visas for some members of the national team’s technical and executive staff have not yet been issued, and the US embassy has so far ‌refused to issue them,” it said, without citing a ⁠source.

The Iran war has turned the World ‌Cup – the biggest global sporting event – into a geopolitical contest, with both sides appearing ​to use the tournament for political posturing.

It is the first World Cup, since its inception in 1930, in which a host nation is set ​to receive a country it is at war with.

Tehran negotiated a last-minute move of the team’s base from Arizona to Tijuana in Mexico due to the ⁠visa issues and a growing ​feeling in Iran that the squad’s presence in the United States should be kept to a minimum.

They are scheduled to land in Tijuana early on Sunday.

Iran are due to play their first Group G match on June 15th against New Zealand in ‌Los Angeles, where they will also face Belgium before taking on Egypt in Seattle.

The US had never formally said it did not want the Iranian team to stay on its territory, Ambassador Pasandideh said.

However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Tuesday that the US would not allow Iran to include in its World Cup delegation individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, a powerful branch of the Iranian armed forces.

Mehdi Taj, president of Iran’s football federation, was denied entry for the tournament draw in Washington in December. He is a former commander ‌in the Revolutionary Guards.

Iran’s desire to compete in the World Cup underscored its ​efforts to reach a resolution in the war with Washington, Pasandideh said.

“Iran’s ‌participation in the World Cup — even on the soil of what is seen as its enemy — shows that Iran seeks peace,” Pasandideh said, speaking through a Spanish interpreter at the Iranian embassy in Mexico City.

Progress in peace talks between Iran and the US has been slow, with both sides seemingly ⁠inching toward an interim agreement even ⁠as they continue to carry out ‌military strikes.