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 [...]
Premier League clubs face unlicensed gambling firms ban Sport Business Premier League clubs could be banned from being sponsored by a plethora of betting firms as the government looks to crack down on illegal gambling. Despite a voluntary move by Premier League clubs to remove gambling and casino sponsors from the front of shirts from next season, those brands can move to sleeves and maintain [...]
Chesterfield FC bids to be pilot for Independent Football Regulator Sport Business League Two club Chesterfield have offered to be a pilot club for the Independent Football Regulator to ensure their financial controls are aligned. It comes as the Spireites released their accounts to shareholders for their first season back in the football league after a six-year absence. Chesterfield cites that the club – sixth in the [...]
Leicester City’s points deduction shows the tail doesn’t always wag the dog February 6, 2026 The Premier League’s victory over Leicester City shows that clubs can’t lose money with impunity, but is it one battle in a much bigger war, writes Aaryaman Banerji. Every ruling tells a story. And so it is that English football has become something of an anthology. This week’s verdict by a three-man independent commission, finding that Leicester City had breached EFL Profit and [...]
Why Independent Football Regulator could give fans more access than ever January 25, 2026 Football’s new regulator may well shine a light into the dimmer corners of the beautiful game: its legal disputes. For decades, the most high-stakes legal battles in English football have been resolved behind closed doors. Whether it’s the intricacies of Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR), Manchester City’s infamous 115 charges, or Associated Party Transactions, the [...]
Football regulator may have popular support but many will be disappointed January 22, 2026 The Independent Football Regulator will not be the panacea for all of the English game’s ills that some are hoping for, says Ed Warner. To a stimulating conference titled “The Independent Football Regulator: challenge or opportunity?” There I found myself a minority voice in an echo chamber of regulatory advocates. An opening poll of the [...]
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 [...]
Exclusive: Brits don’t trust football and rugby team owners to run clubs properly January 13, 2026 Less than a third of British adults trust football and rugby team owners to “run their clubs in a financially sustainable manner” amid intensifying scrutiny on those who buy sporting institutions. Exclusive Ipsos polling for City AM shows that just 32 per cent of adults trust the owner of their football or rugby club. It [...]
Is the Premier League decoupling from the rest of English football? December 18, 2025 Ed Warner pores over a report on the polarisation of English football and comes up with a solution to the Premier League’s stand-off with the EFL for the new regulator. “I just hope they don’t mess it up.” The Premier League club chairman’s answer to my question about his hopes for the Independent Football Regulator [...]
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 [...]