England’s Independent Football Regulator holds the authority to compel football club owners to sell their teams and may initiate its own investigations into club conduct, according to its chair, David Kogan. The regulator’s powers come amid ongoing scrutiny of Manchester City following a verdict that the club breached Premier League financial regulations 114 times, a decision currently under appeal.
Established in July 2025, the Independent Football Regulator oversees the financial health and governance of English football clubs, with a focus on the behavior of owners and senior executives. Kogan emphasized that the regulator evaluates individuals against a set of ownership and leadership standards and is empowered to require an owner to step away if they are deemed unfit to run a club.
“We have the power to ask an owner to step away from a club if we believe that they run a club in a way that is neither fit, fair or done with propriety,” Kogan said during a podcast interview. When asked if owners could refuse such a directive, he responded clearly, “No, no, no. We’ve got absolute power to do so.”
Kogan indicated the regulator would await the outcome of Manchester City’s appeal before deciding whether to pursue a separate investigation. He cautioned against premature conclusions, noting that pre-emptive action would be a “colossal mistake.” Unlike the Premier League, which imposes sanctions like fines or points deductions on clubs, the regulator’s remit is confined to assessing and, if necessary, sanctioning the individuals responsible for club governance.
The legislation establishing the regulator does not permit it to block takeovers on the basis of a club’s ownership by state-backed entities. Kogan cited that the law would not automatically prevent acquisitions by sovereign wealth funds, such as those from Norway, highlighting the legal limits within which the regulator operates.
Kogan also addressed proposals to resolve long-standing disputes over financial distributions between the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL). Under the proposed measures, solidarity payments from the Premier League to lower leagues could more than double, while parachute payments to relegated clubs would be reduced. This aims to decrease the financial divide within the Championship and increase competitive balance.
In the discussion, Kogan criticized the high expenditures on agents’ fees within the football industry, estimating that fees have surpassed £500 million annually. He described these costs as “ridiculous” and suggested that funds would be better allocated directly to player investments. Furthermore, Kogan flagged concerns about the growing levels of inter-club debt linked to transfer dealings, describing the sums owed as running into billions of pounds.
These remarks underscore the regulator’s focus on improving financial sustainability and governance across English football as it seeks to enforce accountability and stability in the sport.