Football regulator chair vows to quit if there is political interference in Man City case

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The head of the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) has declared he will resign if political interference compromises any potential probe into Manchester City.

An independent commission previously ruled that the club deliberately set out to bypass Premier League financial regulations over a nine-season period.

While City have lodged an appeal against that decision, an upheld verdict could trigger action from the IFR, which holds the authority to mandate that owners sell their stakes in severe instances.

Comments from Prime Minister Andy Burnham sparked discussion after he admitted he would be “really concerned” should the Abu Dhabi owners depart following the ruling, highlighting the potential knock-on effects for diplomatic and commercial relations between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

However, IFR chair David Kogan maintained a firm stance that his organisation would refuse to tolerate outside influence if they decide to proceed with measures against City’s ownership.

Speaking at the launch of the regulator’s ‘State of the Game’ publication in Manchester on Tuesday, he said: “We are absolutely bound by one thing, and that one thing is regulating football and regulating football clubs.”

He added: “Our independence is absolute, and my independence personally is absolute. I made it very clear in an interview last year that if we (experience) any form of political interference on the way we operate it is going to result in my resigning from this role, and I stand by that completely.

“Just to be crystal clear, we’ve come under absolutely no political pressure whatsoever on this or any other topic, and I don’t expect to in the future.”

A provision in an earlier draft of the Football Governance Bill had instructed the regulator to evaluate the UK Government’s trade and foreign policy priorities when determining suitability, though that requirement was subsequently removed.

Kogan’s own appointment as chair recently faced scrutiny from the Commissioner for Public Appointments due to his past ties to the Labour Party.

The investigation established that Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had violated procedural rules by failing to register donations received from Kogan, yet it determined he was unaware of the breach and raised no concerns regarding his fitness for office.

Shadow Culture Minister Louie French subsequently remarked that a “Labour donor and key crony cannot lead an Independent Football Regulator”.

Addressing the criticism, Kogan stated: “I’ve been doing the job properly, and the idea that you would associate that (his history of donations to the Labour Party) with anything to do with the politics of what’s going on at the moment around Manchester City is just frankly ludicrous.

“I’m not in the slightest bit concerned about accusations about my probity. I think it stands up to scrutiny, and you’re more than welcome to scrutinise it.”

The ‘State of the Game’ document revealed that Premier League expenditure on legal disputes surged from £45million in 2015-16 to £212m in 2024-25, driven largely by its primary case against Manchester City alongside separate challenges concerning associated party transaction (APT) regulations.

Kogan explained that the financial burden of any future legal battles brought by the IFR against City would ultimately be funded by the football clubs themselves.

“We wouldn’t go into legal action unless we thought we were going to win,” he added.

“Whereas the Government will be cash-flowing us to do stuff – and they absolutely have to do that because we’re not going to go into legal action unless we know we can afford to pay for it – then ultimately, that will be charged back to football as part of the levy mechanism.

“I don’t expect a problem with the Treasury or with DCMS if we’re suddenly facing a substantive legal challenge, assuming we believe that legal challenge is one that we’re prepared to fight and prepared to win.”