David Sullivan and Karren Brady have once again found themselves at the centre of West Ham fan fury as a truce is broken with a major announcement.
West Ham supporters have been protesting against the club’s owners after a public vote of no confidence from the Fan Advisory Board in September.
There has always been tension between a large section of the club’s fans and David Sullivan since his arrival at the club in 2010.
That has spiked and dipped when West Ham have fluctuated between dark times and more serene periods in the 15 years since.
Tensions have been rising again in recent years as a result of West Ham’s rapid decline since winning their first major trophy in 43 years back in 2023.
West Ham’s rapid decline sparked backlash against owners
The Hammers have failed to build on that trophy success, three seasons in Europe and the club record and pure profit £105m sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal.
West Ham fans have been warning the club they were sleepwalking into a relegation battle ever since the failed appointments of Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter.
Woeful recruitment when splashing out £155m on players last year was followed by underinvestment when the rest of the top flight was setting a new Premier League spending record this summer.
As a result Nuno Espirito Santo is picking up the slack and trying to turn the sinking West Ham ship around with a lopsided squad which is desperately short of quality and depth in key areas.
Fans have vowed to continue their protests all season long.
Supporters have been quick to point out their protests are not aimed at Nuno or his players.
Fan groups have also been keen to ensure they avoid any action that could be construed as having a negative impact on the team’s performances or results.
West Ham have been managing that just fine on their own over the last two years, winning just 19 Premier League matches in over 70 played since January 2024.
Prominent fan group Hammers United have been protesting for majority owner Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to depart or stand down from the day-to-day running of the club.
The group recently spoke out on claims Sullivan and Brady are making plans to leave West Ham as a result of the fan uprising.
Now Sullivan and Brady face new West Ham fan wrath as a truce is broken with a major announcement.
Why the London Stadium will be a sea of red at West Ham games
Hammers fans have carried out protests at almost every game since the vote of no confidence in the board three months ago.
Around 10,000 fans joined what is believed to be the biggest ever mass West Ham march against the owners ahead of the Burnley game.
The club had planned further protests for the Liverpool match but a truce was called when West Ham’s greatest ever player Billy Bonds passed away on the morning of the game.
West Ham have played away at Man United and Brighton since but face in-form Aston Villa at the London Stadium this Sunday.
There will be no protest for that game either, it has been confirmed.
But Hammers fans have announced plans to launch a brand new protest which takes inspiration from the Bonds Scheme backlash 34 years ago in 1991.
Hammers United, which boasts a membership exceeding 25,000 fans, has announced plans to give Sullivan and Brady the red card – quite literally – at every home game, starting with Fulham.
The fan group has decided to perform a ‘red card’ protest starting with the game against the Cottagers on December 27th.
As a result Hammers fans are being asked to take red cards being distributed outside the ground or bring their own and hold it up towards Sullivan and Brady in the director’s box – just as West Ham supporters did towards the board at Upton Park in 1991.
Fans were ultimately successful as the Bonds Scheme was scrapped.
In a co-ordinated effort West Ham supporters are asked to hold up the red cards on 15 minutes to ‘symbolise Sullivan and Brady’s mismanagement of our club over the last 15 years’.
West Ham fans to show Sullivan and Brady the red card all season
In a lengthy statement, Hammers United explained the truce was the result of the death of legend Bonds.
But they then called on supporters to perform the red card protest at every home game from Fulham onwards.
There is even a video being circulated to supporters which displays a red card on your phone with a siren which fans are being asked to hold up if they don’t have red cards.
“After the successful march prior to the Burnley game, which saw thousands and thousands of fans come together to call for the resignations of Karren Brady and David Sullivan, we have been inundated with requests from many West Ham fans to organise protests inside the London Stadium,” Hammers United said in a statement.
“While we agree with these sentiments, we have to be realistic – there are so many rules and regulations that apply inside all football stadiums which, if breached, could result in the Club issuing supporters with a range of sanctions up to and including banning orders.
“We cannot afford to do anything that will negatively affect match-going West Ham fans.
“The Hammers United committee, along with several of our advisors, have discussed how best to proceed with ongoing, “in-ground” protests which will be effective and gain widespread support.
“We have several ideas which we are considering, and we will keep you informed as we go on, but there is one protest we will be organising, on which we are all agreed.
“We looked back to a previous generation of fans who had reason to stand up and protest against the Club’s activities when the infamous Bond Scheme was launched in 1991.
“Thousands of fans brought their own red cards into the Boleyn Ground and simply held them aloft so that the owners and directors could visibly see the strength of feeling among the fanbase. Long story short, the fans won the day and the Bond scheme was abandoned.
“Beginning with the Fulham match on December 27, we will be asking all fans to join in the No More BS Red Card Protest, where red cards will be held up facing the directors’ box 15 minutes after kick-off to symbolise Sullivan and Brady’s mismanagement of our club over the last 15 years.
“Hammers United will be handing out a limited number of red cards before the game (if you get one of these, please hold on to it for all games), but we also encourage all fans to get their own from eBay or Amazon – for example, 5 sheets of red A4 card costs just £2.99 and can easily be cut into 20 A6 cards which you can share out.
“It will take a few games to get the cards out there and build momentum but we believe this will be successful and increase the pressure on Sullivan and Brady to stand down.
“In the meantime, black balloon and flag protests will continue at all away games.”
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