West Ham United sponsor Boyle Sports has expressed its serious concern at the allegations made against the club’s majority owner David Sullivan.

Reporting by the BBC and The Times this week focused on claims that Sullivan had exploited his position as a publisher to pressure young women into sexual activity.

Sullivan, 77, has strongly denied the allegations, calling them “factually incorrect and entirely false”, and said he would be taking legal action in relation to them.

The Independent Football Regulator, which has the power to force shareholders to sell up if deemed unsuitable, has said that it is investigating the claims.

“Boyle Sports is extremely concerned at the serious nature of the allegations levelled against David Sullivan,” a spokesperson for the bookmaker told The Athletic.

“It is our understanding that the Independent Football Regulator is reviewing this matter urgently and we wholeheartedly support their efforts in doing so.”

Boyle Sports was West Ham’s main sponsor last season, appearing on the front of their match shirts, but has not confirmed whether it will renew its arrangement.

The club’s relegation from the Premier League means that, unlike top-flight teams from next term, it is allowed to have a betting brand as its principal commercial partner.

Sullivan denies allegations about ‘personal matters’

Sullivan stepped down last week after 16 years as chairman, saying he didn’t want “personal matters concerning me to become an unnecessary distraction or a source of instability”.

The claims reported by the BBC and The Times date back to the 1980s and relate to his role as owner of the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport newspapers.

West Ham have said that none of the allegations made against Sullivan, who bought the club in 2010 with late business partner David Gold, relate to it or its operations.

The episode has raised questions about the future ownership of West Ham, as Sullivan and the second largest shareholder, Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky, were set to up their stakes. 

It follows a turbulent few months for the East London outfit, with relegation compounding the departure of several senior figures including vice-chair Karren Brady.