New English Football Regulator Holds 'Absolute Power' to Force Club Owners to Sell

English football’s new independent regulator has the power to force club owners to sell their stakes and could launch its own investigation once Manchester City's case regarding 114 alleged Premier League financial rule breaches is resolved, chairman David Kogan has confirmed. Kogan explained that the watchdog will evaluate the conduct of owners and top executives against its own standards, with the authority to disqualify any owner deemed unfit. "We have the power to require an owner to divest themselves of a club if we decide that they are not running it properly, fairly or correctly," Kogan said on 'The Rest Is Football' podcast.

Asked by co-host Alastair Campbell whether an owner could refuse, Kogan replied unequivocally: "No, no, no. We have the absolute power to make that happen and enforce it if they refuse." The Independent Football Regulator was established in July 2025 to protect the financial sustainability of the English game, holding sweeping powers to oversee owners and directors and step in if clubs face financial distress or break regulations. Amid heightened scrutiny surrounding Manchester City's charges and appeals process, Kogan stated the regulator would wait for those proceedings to conclude before determining whether to launch an inquiry of its own. "I will not be bounced into making any kind of judgment on it until we have all the answers. Only then will we decide whether to open our own investigation, reach a conclusion, and determine what steps to take," he said. "Jumping ahead of the process right now would be a colossal mistake."

Kogan further clarified that the regulator's role differs from that of the league, as its focus is on the individuals running the clubs rather than imposing sporting sanctions on the clubs themselves. "We will assess based on our ownership criteria and expectations of senior directors and executives. We will judge the actions of those specific individuals," he explained. Later in the interview, Kogan shared details on proposals aimed at settling the long-running dispute over financial distribution between the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL).

"The Premier League is considering more than doubling its annual solidarity payments—funds filtered down through the lower tiers," Kogan revealed. Under the proposed model, parachute payments to relegated Premier League clubs would be reduced, while funding for the Championship would see a substantial increase.