West Ham fans protest and call for board changes

Thousands of West Ham fans have protested against how the club is run and called for chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to step down.

The demonstrations took place before their home game against Crystal Palace, with Graham Potter's side 18th in the Premier League with only three points from four matches and already out of the Carabao Cup.

Two separate protests close to their London Stadium home saw thousands of supporters march to the ground holding a variety of banners and flags calling for change at the club.

Some of the flags said Sullivan and Brady, who have been at West Ham since 2010, should "just resign" and "were killing the club".

Fan group Hammers United organised the larger of the protests and said this was "the start of a sustained campaign and a series of protests which must be vigorous, but within the law".

They added: "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."

Former Birmingham City owners David Gold and Sullivan took control of West Ham United 15 years ago in a deal that valued the club at £105m, with Brady joining as vice-chair.

The protests come two weeks after West Ham's fan advisory board, who represent more than 25,000 supporters, issued a vote of no confidence in the club's board.

It cited the club's failure to adequately build on their Conference League victory in 2023 - the Hammers' first major trophy in 43 years - a failure to strengthen the club in the transfer window and the matchday experience at the London Stadium among the reasons for the no-confidence vote.

Hammers United said they planned to line the route along Marshgate Lane up to the directors' entrance to the London Stadium, with the protest to last until 45 minutes before kick-off.

A second protest, organised by fellow fans group Crossed Hammers, said they expected several hundred fans to march from Stratford train station to the ground via the Carpenters' Arms pub. The protest was also due to end at the directors' entrance.

A further protest in the form of a fans boycott is planned for their next home match, against Brentford on Monday, 20 October, with the aim to show banks of empty seats for the match that will be televised live on Sky Sports.

West Ham are in their 14th successive season in the Premier League, but their only points in 2025-26 have come from a fine 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest.

They have also suffered heavy defeats by Sunderland, Chelsea and Tottenham and went out of the Carabao Cup to Wolves, a side that have lost all their Premier League matches.

On the protests, West Ham head coach Graham Potter said in his pre-match news conference that while he respects supporters' right to protest, everyone at the club was "hurting" at the club's struggles.

Potter, who has only won six of 22 league games since replacing Julen Lopetegui in January, said: "We have to just focus on the game. It's as simple as that. That's what we're here for. That's our job.

"We completely respect the supporters' right to protest or to speak because clearly, the most important people are the fans. That's what the football club's here for.

"But everyone connected with West Ham, everyone's the same, everyone loves the club. Everybody wants the club to succeed and everyone's hurting."

On Thursday, the club issued a lengthy statement on its website, external in response to the unrest, saying they were continuing "to listen to fan feedback", have made "significant investment into the football operation" and "continue to do everything we can to improve the matchday experience".

The statement added: "We accept that results and performances on the pitch over the past two seasons have not met the standards we set for ourselves. Nobody at the club is satisfied with that.

"Our focus is firmly on the future and building a team that can once again compete consistently in domestic competitions and in Europe.

"Ultimately, though, as is the case at every football stadium in the country, we accept that regular winning performances are the best way to improve the atmosphere."

On the club's fans, the statement said: "We encourage all supporters to remain engaged as we move forward together.

"The club would like to place on record its thanks and appreciation to all of our fans, in the UK and all over the world, for their continued backing of West Ham United and the role that they have played in helping us to become one of the biggest and best-supported football clubs in the world."