The chairman of English football’s independent regulator has said he would stand down if political pressure were applied to the body’s handling of the Manchester City case.
David Kogan, who heads the Independent Football Regulator (IFR), told BBC Sport he would resign if he encountered political interference over the club’s future.
The IFR holds the power to judge whether club owners and executives are suitable to hold their positions. Should an independent commission’s conclusion that City breached Premier League financial rules be upheld, the regulator would face a decision on whether to compel a sale.
Kogan’s remarks followed criticism last month of the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, who said he would be “really concerned” were City’s Abu Dhabi owners to sell up.
Asked about Burnham’s comments, Kogan said: “The Prime Minister is entirely entitled to make his own observations on anything.”
He added: “We are independent. That is in the name. I am the chairman of the Independent Football Regulator and independence absolutely runs through everything we’re doing. And no politician has tried to influence and would try to influence anything we do on that.”
Pressed on how he would respond to political pressure over the case, Kogan said: “I would resign.”
An independent commission found that City broke rules across a nine-year span from 2009 to 2018 by drawing up “sham” contracts with commercial partners to channel more than £830m into their football operations without disclosure. City maintain their innocence and have lodged an appeal.
Burnham first set out his concerns to the BBC before later rejecting the suggestion that his reaction had “downplayed the seriousness of the findings”.
Sources told BBC Sport that some Premier League clubs were “astonished” by the Prime Minister’s position and “concerned” about political interference in the appeal process.
Questions over Burnham’s ties to City’s Abu Dhabi ownership have arisen given his former role as mayor of Greater Manchester. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for the release of all details of meetings between the Prime Minister and senior club figures. The government published those details on Monday.
Kogan said: “As far as we, as the regulator, are concerned, we have a very, very clear course of action that is governed by statute and we are going to follow that course of action and no comment by any politician or indeed any individual is going to affect what we do.
“Process is going to drive what we do. Process will lead us to a conclusion.
“We cannot reach any conclusion at this stage because we don’t know the outcome of any appeal and once we do then we will act accordingly.”
A sanctions hearing will be convened by the independent panel to settle the punishment, a process that could take months to arrange.
City are able to appeal both the guilty verdicts and any sanction, leaving the club and the league facing uncertainty.
Possible outcomes range from a substantial fine, a points deduction or ejection from the Premier League, to the removal of the eight trophies City won during the period in question.
Asked how important a swift resolution was, Kogan said: “I think it’s very important.”
He added that the case raised “very serious issues if Manchester City on appeal is found to be guilty of the allegations within those findings”.
“We are waiting like everybody else to see what the independent panel will do… and then we will bring in a view in terms of our own investigation and statutory powers if we need to do so,” he said.
“Our powers relate to individual owners, directors and senior executives. They refer to whether people are in a position to run a club in a way that is safe, coherent and done with probity, and we will be examining those things.”
The commission’s verdict, announced last month, followed a 42-day hearing held in 2024. City were found guilty on all charges except one concerning non-cooperation with the Premier League’s investigation.
According to the commission’s report, “a number of important club witnesses gave false evidence in key respects and that some knowingly gave untrue and dishonest evidence”.
Kogan, a former sports media rights executive, was appointed to the regulator role a year ago.
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