Football regulators will not take the Premier League lightly, Kogan stressed

Thursday 09 October 2025 12:45 WIB
| Updated:

Thursday 09 October 2025 12:46 WIB

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David Kogan, chairman of the Independent Football Regulator, has sought to allay fears that the regulatory body will “undermine” the Premier League by insisting he is “absolutely committed” to its continued growth.

Before the Football Governance Bill was passed into law, several top clubs raised concerns that the new era of regulation could weaken the Premier League’s position as the world’s biggest domestic football competition and hinder future investment in the league and its teams.

But Kogan, who previously advised the Premier League and EFL on the sale of their media rights, said the IFR’s duty to protect the entire British pyramid must be balanced with ambitions to drive growth.

“This is actually very important work, because if we get it wrong, if the world of football gets it wrong, the incredible progress that has been achieved will be lost very quickly,” Kogan told the BBC after a meeting with the 110 clubs.

“English football is a huge success story – we have to keep it that way. A huge amount of money has gone into football over the last 20 or 25 years. There’s no guarantee that money will continue to flow into football, that’s one of the reasons why I think we have to take a clear view of the risks and the next two or three years.

“I am absolutely committed to the Premier League’s success and growth as an economic entity. I understand the concerns about weakening the Premier League as this country’s premium product.

“But at the same time, if you speak to the Premier League after today’s meeting, they will have a high degree of certainty and, of course, they have told us privately that they have a high degree of certainty.”

IFR will be keeping a close eye on the Premier League-EFL deal

Football’s regulator will have the power to mandate new agreements between the Premier League and lower divisions on how they redistribute huge media rights revenues if talks remain deadlocked.

This has also sparked concerns among top clubs that their income will fall. The league currently shares around 14 per cent of its media rights income, but the EFL has pushed for that income to increase to 25 per cent.

“We will take a hard look at our current way of working because our job is the stability, security and protection of clubs across the pyramid,” Kogan added.

“And to do that, we need to look at the money that goes into football, how that money is distributed, how that money supports the clubs in the league.

“The Premier League and EFL are happy to have those talks again, having failed to reach an agreement over the last two or three years.”