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Adult bosses buy into West Ham

The two most powerful men in the UK adult industry – David Sullivan, head of Private Shops and Darker Enterprises, and David Gold, head of Ann Summers – now own 50% of West Ham United Football Club. The two Davids paid a reported £46m for their stake in the club, which has been financially troubled in recent years following a spell under Icelandic ownership, and it remains around £110m in debt.

The two men do not lack experience in this area – they ran Birmingham City from 1993 to 2009, before selling the club to a Hong Kong businessman last year – and according to the Wall Street Journal they have already injected around £8m into the club in working capital and are looking for other external investors. In the January transfer window they reportedly made an attempt to sign ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid legend Ruud van Nistelrooy, and there is also talk of the club relocating from Upton Park to the 2012 Olympic Stadium after the London Olympic Games.