By Adegboyega Adeleye
The chairman of English football’s Independent Football Regulator (IFR), David Kogan, has vowed to resign if he faces political interference over the future of Manchester City amid the club’s appeal against findings that it breached Premier League financial rules.
According to the BBC, Kogan said no politician had attempted to influence the regulator’s work and insisted that its decisions would be guided by the law and established procedures.
Asked what he would do if he came under political pressure over the case, Kogan said: “I would resign.”
“The Prime Minister is entirely entitled to make his own observations on anything,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s earlier comments about Manchester City’s ownership.
“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.”
Burnham had previously said he would be “really concerned” if Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi owners decided to sell the club, prompting criticism from opposition politicians and concerns among some Premier League clubs about possible political interference in the case.
The prime minister later denied that his remarks had downplayed the seriousness of the findings against City. Details of his meetings with senior club figures were released by the government on Monday following calls for greater transparency.
Kogan, however, insisted that the regulator would follow its statutory responsibilities regardless of comments from politicians or other individuals.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
What happens next in Man City case?
An independent commission found Manchester City had breached financial rules over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018. The commission’s findings included allegations that the club used commercial agreements to channel more than £830m into its football operations.
The commission also concluded that some club witnesses had given false or dishonest evidence in key respects. City have denied wrongdoing and appealed the verdict.
A separate independent panel is expected to hold a sanctions hearing to determine the punishment, although the process could take months. City can also appeal any sanction imposed.
Possible punishments reported include a substantial fine, a points deduction, expulsion from the Premier League or the removal of titles won during the period under investigation.
Kogan said the case raised serious issues if the findings were upheld following the appeal and confirmed that the regulator would consider whether to exercise its own powers.
“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 regulator’s role includes assessing whether club owners and senior officials are suitable to run their teams. If the findings against City are upheld, the watchdog could consider whether action involving the club’s ownership or executives is necessary.
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