Football regulator won’t undermine Premier League, insists chair Kogan
David Kogan, the chair of the Independent Football Regulator, has attempted to allay fears that the watchdog will “undermine” the Premier League by insisting he is “absolutely committed” to its continued growth.
Before the Football Governance Bill passed into law some top-flight clubs voiced concerns that a new era of regulation could weaken the Premier League’s position as the world’s biggest domestic football competition and deter future investment in it and its teams.
But Kogan, who has previously advised both the Premier League and EFL on the sale of their media rights, said the IFR’s duty to protect the whole English pyramid had to be balanced by an ambition to encourage growth.
“It’s a job that’s actually really important, because if we get it wrong, if the world of football gets it wrong, the extraordinary progress that’s been made will vanish incredibly quickly,” Kogan told the BBC after a meeting with 110 clubs.
“English football is a huge success story – we’ve got to keep it going. An enormous amount of money has come into football for the last 20 or 25 years. There’s no guarantee it will continue to come into football, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to take a really clear view on risk and of the next two or three years.
“I’m absolutely committed to the success and growth as an economic entity of the Premier League. I of all people understand the concern of undermining the Premier League as a premium product of this country.
“But at the same time, if you talk to the Premier League after today’s meeting, they would have had a high level of reassurance and, indeed, they have been telling us in private they have a high level of reassurance.”
IFR to look closely at Premier League-EFL deal
The football regulator will have backstop powers to mandate a new agreement between the Premier League and lower divisions on how it redistributes its vast media rights revenue if the on-off talks remain at an impasse.
That, too, has fuelled concerns among top-flight clubs that their income will drop. The league currently shares around 14 per cent of its media rights revenue but the EFL has been pushing for that to increase to 25 per cent.
“We’re going to have a very close look at the way in which things operate now because our remit is all about stability, it’s all about security, it is about protecting the clubs throughout the pyramid,” Kogan added.
“And to do that, we need to look at the money that’s coming into football, how that money is being distributed, how it’s supporting clubs in the leagues.
“The Premier League and the EFL are happy to have that conversation again, having failed themselves to reach agreement over the last two or three years.”