Sullivan, left, is subjected to abuse from West Ham fans during protests against his running of the club with Gold

David Sullivan illegally avoided £700,000 in tax as he funnelled money into West Ham United after his purchase of the club, The Times can reveal. Sullivan, 69, has been ordered to pay back the money after a court ruled that he deliberately tried to benefit from the transfer of £2 million from his family company in 2010.

The ruling could not have come at a worse time for the West Ham co-owner, who was the subject of a protest by fans at the club’s last home game at the London Stadium, when he was forced to leave the directors’ box after being hit by a coin.

Many protesters accuse him and co-owner David Gold of breaking a promise to invest in the team after the