Regulator could require Manchester City owner to step away

The Independent Football Regulator could require Manchester City’s owner to step away from the club if it concludes he ran it improperly, chair David Kogan has said. He stressed that the regulator has not decided whether to investigate City or take action, while the club’s appeal against Premier League commission findings remains pending. Kogan said the watchdog had the power to require an owner to leave and that the owner could not refuse. He said the regulator would assess owners and senior directors or executives against its ownership tests, focusing on individual conduct. Its role differs from the Premier League’s, which can impose sporting sanctions on a club, such as fines or points deductions. The regulator’s decision on whether to open its own investigation into City would come only after relevant questions had been answered, Kogan said. He described it as premature to predict what the watchdog might do before then. No investigation or regulatory action has been announced. An independent commission found that City circumvented Premier League rules through commercial arrangements involving more than £900 million over nine seasons. It also found that the club sought to...