Independent Football Regulator Chief Can Force Man City Sale

· GiveMeSport

Independent Football Regulator chief explains if he has the power to force Man City sale.

Chair of the Independent Football Regulator (IFR), David Kogan, has opened up on the possible action that can be taken against Manchester City's owners if they are found to have run the club improperly. The Etihad side are currently in the appeal process, having been found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules.

In September 2026, an independent Commission found that between 2009 and 2018, City arranged ‘sham’ contracts and agreements to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs. They did so to conceal their finances, with the club significantly in breach of both the Premier League’s and UEFA’s spending limits. They also committed multiple breaches when it came to duties of co-operation in the investigation.

As such, should Man City's appeal against the guilty verdict be unsuccessful, many will expect severe punishment. One touted sanction would be the removal of the club's Abu Dhabi owners. Kogan has now revealed if this is even within the IFR's power.

Kogan appeared on The Rest Is Football podcast this week to outline what action could be taken if the guilty verdict is upheld. While he insisted it was premature to talk about punishments just yet, he did confirm that the IFR have 'absolute power' to force a sale.

Manchester City are majority-owned by Abu Dhabi United Group, an investment vehicle owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family. However, this could all change if the club are punished for breaking Premier League rules. Kogan explained:

> “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.”

When asked if an owner could refuse this sanction, Kogan replied: “No, no, no. We’ve got absolute power to do so.”

He was then asked about the IFR separately running a second investigation into Man City. He didn't rule out the idea, but again called for patience until more is known:

> “I am not going to get pushed into making any judgement on this until we’ve seen all of those questions being answered. 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.”

Troubling reports are emerging.

Although there is an appetite from many to have Man City's owners removed, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham – the former mayor of Greater Manchester – has publicly stated that he doesn't want this to happen. He told the media:

> "I would be really concerned to lose them. They've been such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester and obviously the building of Manchester City into the global force that it is."

His comments drew a lot of criticism, especially amid talk of potential diplomatic issues between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. Kogan, however, has already pledged to resign if there is any political interference in any investigation the IFR may undertake.

As quoted by The Guardian, he said: “Our independence is absolute and my independence personally is absolute,” he said. “I [have] made it very clear … any form of political interference on the way we operate is going to result in my resigning from this role, and I stand by that completely. And, just to be crystal clear, we’ve come under absolutely no political pressure whatsoever on this or any other topic.”

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