Manchester City owners could be forced to sell club if guilty verdict upheld, regulator says

Manchester City are facing an unprecedented scenario: their owners could be ordered to sell the club if the guilty verdict issued by an independent commission is upheld on appeal. That is the warning from David Kogan, chair of the new independent football regulator, who confirmed the body would have absolute power to force a change of ownership at the Premier League club.

Independent regulator holds absolute power over a potential Manchester City sale

David Kogan, who leads the new English football watchdog, said the organisation could require Sheikh Mansour to step aside as owner if the club is ultimately found to have been run improperly. Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Kogan explained that the body has the authority to ask an owner to leave a club when it believes the way the club is being run does not meet standards of fitness, fairness or propriety.

“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,” Kogan said.

Asked whether an owner could refuse to divest, Kogan was blunt: “No, no, no. We’ve got absolute power to do so.” The warning comes after Manchester City lodged an appeal against the verdict of an independent commission that found the club guilty of circumventing Premier League rules.

What the independent commission found against Manchester City

The commission determined that Manchester City set up sham commercial arrangements to inflate revenues or reduce costs by more than £900million across nine seasons. It also concluded that the club made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League's investigation into those arrangements.

The case is not yet closed. The club has appealed the ruling, and Kogan said it was premature to discuss any action the regulator might take. However, he made clear that a separate investigation by his organisation has not been ruled out.

A possible regulator investigation and the political risk around the Manchester City case

Kogan refused to be drawn on whether the regulator would launch its own investigation into Manchester City, warning that reaching any conclusion before all questions were answered would be a colossal mistake. Still, he confirmed the body could open its own proceedings and decide what action to take once it had reviewed the facts.

The row has grown to such an extent that concerns have been raised about the case becoming a diplomatic issue between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. In response to those concerns, Kogan has already promised to resign if there is any political interference in a future investigation involving City.

Manchester City top the Premier League while their institutional future is unresolved

The sporting picture offers a stark contrast to the institutional uncertainty. Pep Guardiola's side have won their opening seven Premier League matches and sit three points clear of defending champions Arsenal at the top of the table. That on-pitch consistency stands in sharp relief to a legal horizon that could completely alter the club's ownership structure.

What could happen to Sheikh Mansour and Manchester City's ownership

The independent regulator has the power to intervene in club ownership when serious breaches are detected. In City's case, the commission has already identified conduct that violated Premier League rules over almost a decade. If the appeal fails, the body chaired by Kogan could decide whether to launch its own investigation and, ultimately, whether to demand a sale of the club.

Kogan's words do not mean immediate action, but they outline an extreme scenario for the Manchester club. The mere confirmation that the regulator has that capacity adds extra pressure on the current ownership and turns the outcome of the appeal into a matter that goes far beyond football.

Frequently asked questions about Manchester City and the independent regulator