David Kogan Outlines Regulator’s Power to Remove Manchester City Owners

England’s independent football regulator can require an owner to leave a club if standards of fitness, fairness and proper conduct are not met, chair David Kogan has said, as Manchester City pursue an appeal against a major Premier League financial ruling.

Regulator sets out owner-removal powers

Kogan said it would be premature to predict any action against City while the appeal remains unresolved, but made clear that the regulator has wide authority over club ownership.

Asked whether a controlling party could resist a forced sale, Kogan rejected that suggestion. He said the regulator had the power to direct an owner to step aside where the club was not being run appropriately.

The comments raise the prospect that Sheikh Mansour’s ownership could ultimately come under scrutiny, although no IFR case against City has been announced.

• City have appealed against the initial commission decision.
• The regulator has not decided whether to open a separate investigation.
• Kogan said any judgement before the appeal questions are settled would be a serious error.
• He has previously said he would resign if government pressure affected a potential inquiry.

Commission ruling puts City under pressure

An independent commission found that City circumvented Premier League rules across nine seasons through commercial arrangements judged to be artificial. The ruling said those deals overstated income and reduced costs by more than £900 million.

City were also found to have tried to hinder the Premier League’s investigation into the financial arrangements. The club are continuing to fight the conclusions and maintain that they possess irrefutable evidence supporting their position.

The case now carries consequences far beyond a financial penalty. Possible punishments have included substantial fines and removal from the Premier League, with a reported double-relegation outcome also discussed.

What could happen next

Any disciplinary outcome remains subject to the appeal process, but City could face sanctions designed to remove the sporting benefit linked to the alleged breaches. A double relegation would leave the club outside the top flight and could keep them in the Championship for at least two years, requiring a major rebuild on and off the pitch.

The Premier League is said to want disciplinary measures settled and made public before City’s appeal is completed. The dispute also risks becoming politically sensitive because of the potential impact on relations between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

For now, City will press their appeal, while the regulator waits to determine whether the final answers from that process justify its own investigation.