Statement about vote of no confidence in the board
10th September 2025
12 days ago on Friday 29th August 2025, the West Ham United Fan Advisory Board (FAB) wrote to the shareholding Board Directors, Messrs Sullivan, Kretinsky, Smith and Ms Gold, to issue a “vote of no confidence” in the executive board director’s management of our club. That letter clearly stated the issues and called for the appointment of top quality professionals to run the club on a daily basis and finally fulfil the unrealised potential that those same executives have claimed our club has.
The FAB held off publication of our letter but to date there has been no response from any of those addressed.
The club, through the nominated board level official, has offered a meeting to discuss our letter.We are due to meet with that board director on Thursday 11th September and we will air our views in a frank and professional manner.
Our letter was written in support of feelings made plain by our members, who we represent, numbering 25,000 loyal supporters. Naturally those supporters have varying nuances in opinion, but the overwhelming flavour is one of growing continued dissatisfaction with how our club is run and its apparent lack of ambition.
We believe our supporters are realistic despite attempts to paint us otherwise. It was the owners who trumpeted “ World Class Team in a World Class Stadium” not the supporters. We never expected to rival Real Madrid, PSG, Liverpool, Man City, Bayern Munich and others, but moving to Stratford, enjoying Europe’s 17th largest revenue streams and crowd numbers among the top ten across the continent should surely provide some benefit. Regular top ten finishes, tilts at UEFA’s lesser competitions, decent cup runs, and an ambition to be “best of the rest” were and still are most supporter’s height of ambition.
Instead we have board members telling us we have a financial crisis. Our infrastructure is shabby and uncompetitive after years of negligible investment, and we are being overtaken by clubs traditionally half our size. For a club with our fanbase size, financial income, history and tradition we feel we are vastly underperforming at many levels.
We’ve seen comments suggesting it’s “patronising” of us to think we are bigger or better than the likes of Crystal Palace or Brighton. Actually we congratulate those clubs on their success, tilting at the giants, but a glance at history and scale might just suggest some justification in thinking we’ve always been a bigger club and that before the move to Stratford. West Ham actually won a major European trophy before Liverpool did; we have some history to fall back on.
The harsh reality of our position is perhaps best illustrated by being seen as among the favourites for relegation in the minds and calculations of bookies and pundits alike, it’s hard to see anything “World Class” in that.
The FAB would also like to thank supporter groups from other clubs including Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United and Manchester City for expressing solidarity with our statement. The wider football family continues to gain strength.
We have various invitations to “go live” and air our grievances. We’d much prefer the shareholding board members to respond directly in a constructive manner and then confirm to our supporters what plans they have to achieve realistic ambitions far removed from relegation threat. We have previously enjoyed media airtime but at present believe any slide towards a public “ war of words” will just inflame a situation that should be resolved in calm orderly fashion.
In the meantime we have asked the club to confirm dates for agreed workshops intended to improve wider fan engagement and experience, our “business as usual” efforts won’t be stopped while reviewing the bigger picture.
Once again, we call on the shareholders to ensure there is a meaningful response to our letter and demonstrate to one of football’s most loyal supporter bases that they recognise the clubs issues, and show real commitment to change.
Yours sincerely,
The West Ham United Fan Advisory Board
Incorporating
West Ham United Supporters' Trust
Pride of Irons
Old School Hammers
Inclusive Irons
West Ham United Supporters' Club
Claret Members
West Ham United Away Season Ticket Holders
West Ham United Overseas Supporters Club
Hammers United
West Ham United Bondholders
West Ham United Junior Supporters Board
Original letter of no confidence in the board- 29th August 2025