Financial breaches spark regulatory scrutiny
An independent commission recently concluded that Manchester City bypassed Premier League regulations over a nine-season period. According to the verdict, City established artificial commercial deals, inflating revenue and cutting costs by more than £900 million.
The Etihad outfit was also found to have made concerted efforts to obstruct the Premier League's investigation into these financial arrangements. While City have officially appealed the initial ruling, the prospect of unprecedented sanctions now hangs over the Citizens.
IFR chair asserts 'absolute power' over owners
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, IFR chair David Kogan clarified the extent of the regulator's authority. While stressing that it remains too early to determine specific actions while City's appeal is ongoing, he confirmed the organisation's ability to oust Sheikh Mansour.
"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 explained. When pressed on whether an ownership group could simply refuse to sell, he delivered a definitive response: "No, no, no. We've got absolute power to do so."
Kogan also addressed the possibility of the IFR launching its own inquiry into the club's conduct. "I am not going to get pushed into making any judgement on this until we've seen all of those questions being answered," he said. "Then we will have to decide whether we're going to mount our own investigation and come to a conclusion on that and what we're going to do. And pre-empting that would be a colossal mistake."
Diplomatic tensions and unprecedented penalties
The current charges represent an existential threat to the club's era of dominance, with potential punishments ranging from massive fines to outright expulsion from the top tier. Reports suggest one scenario involves a "double relegation" threat, which would strip away the advantages gained during the alleged breaches and force a complete structural rebuild by trapping the club in the Championship for a minimum of two years.
Beyond the pitch, the situation threatens to evolve into a significant diplomatic issue between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. Acknowledging these political sensitivities, Kogan has previously promised to resign if he experiences any governmental interference during a potential IFR investigation.
Anxious wait for the appeal verdict
Manchester City will continue to contest the findings aggressively, claiming to hold "irrefutable evidence" of their innocence. Meanwhile, the Premier League is allegedly eager to finalise and announce disciplinary measures before the club's appeal process concludes. The football world now waits to see if the Etihad club will face the ultimate sporting penalty.