Clubs like Chelsea won’t be able to hide from regulator scrutiny Sport Business English football is a global entertainment and cultural powerhouse, contributing more than £9bn annually to the UK economy. Matches are broadcast to hundreds of millions worldwide, with clubs operating not just as teams but as global brands. But with that status comes increased scrutiny of how clubs are run. Under the new Independent Football Regulator [...]
Football missing bank-grade infrastructure as regulator powers grow Sport Business English football is entering a new era: the Premier League has just handed Chelsea a record fine for hidden payments, while the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) is starting to flex its intentions to improve financial soundness and resilience across the pyramid. The latest licensing proposals go further, allowing the regulator to categorise clubs as “high‑risk” [...]
Football regulator rubbishes fears red tape will put investors off English clubs Sport Business David Kogan, the chair of the Independent Football Regulator, insists closer scrutiny of clubs’ finances will encourage rather than deter potential investors in the English game. Former media rights consultant Kogan said the IFR’s mission to improve the sustainability of the entire English pyramid would help to make all teams more desirable assets. “The idea [...]
Independent Football Regulator will use statutory powers to open club books January 20, 2026 The Independent Football Regulator says it will use statutory powers to open the books and assess the balance sheets of clubs across the English pyramid. The government quango, which has been up and running in its own right since November, has today published the proposed scope of its first in-depth analysis of men’s professional football [...]
Football regulator to investigate bad club owners from next week December 5, 2025 Time is ticking for poor football owners as the Independent Football Regulator will be able to investigate unsuitable club bosses from next week. The Independent Football Regulator was set up following the passing of the Football Governance Bill in Parliament earlier this year, with Richard Monks and David Kogan tasked with being chief executive and [...]
Hire process for Kogan to Independent Football Regulator like ‘mafia appointment’ December 2, 2025 The selection of David Kogan as chair of the Independent Football Regulator has been likened to a “mafia appointment in Sicily sometime in the 1950s” at a committee hearing in Parliament. Conservative MP Simon Hoare, chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, made the claim during a hearing discussing William Shawcross’s report into [...]
Fans support Independent Football Regulator but unsure on remit November 19, 2025 The majority of fans back the new Independent Football Regulator but are divided on its remit, a new study has shown. Sport’s latest quango, the Independent Football Regulator, is up and running with a remit to make the English game more sustainable. Early plans suggest the regulator could have the power to force the sale [...]
Nandy hauled to Commons over Kogan’s regulator appointment process November 12, 2025 Lisa Nandy was hauled in front of the House of Commons on Wednesday to answer questions surrounding the process which led to the appointment of David Kogan as chair of the Independent Football Regulator. The media rights expert was given the new-found role despite donating to both the DCMS secretary of state and the Prime [...]
Bullsh*t spin: Labour and Nandy slammed over Kogan football appointment November 7, 2025 Labour has been accused of deploying “bullshit spin” in response to a report criticising the government’s appointment of David Kogan as chair of the Independent Football Regulator. A report by Sir William Shawcross declared that Department of Sport, Media and Culture secretary of state Lisa Nandy had breached the Government Code in appointing the media [...]
Football regulator may limit spending at hard-up clubs October 13, 2025 The Independent Football Regulator will have the power to cap clubs’ spending, limit their use of debt, and require them to place money in escrow that can only be released with its blessing, according to its latest proposals. The measures are part of licensing conditions that clubs will have to meet in order to be [...]