Kogan close to being named new football regulator

David Kogan, the government’s preferred choice for chair of the new independent regulator for English football, is close to being chosen.

According to senior sources, ministers intend to make an announcement in the coming days, possibly as soon as Friday.

In a confirmation hearing the following month, Kogan would have to face MPs on the Culture, Media, and Sport select committee.

The first independent regulator for the professional men’s game in England will be created by the Football Governance Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament after the Labour government reintroduced it in October.

Kogan, a former BBC journalist and director, helped negotiate the rights to the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship last year.

Kogan will have the task of resolving a long-standing dispute between the Premier League and the EFL regarding controversial parachute payments to relegated clubs and financial redistribution if he is given one of the most powerful roles in English football.

The fact that he served as the Premier League’s media rights advisor between 1998 and 2015 may cause concern for the EFL. He has also made a number of donations to the party’s candidates and has close ties to the Labour party. He has two books written about them.

Although Premier League officials have long advocated for an independent regulator, Rick Parry, the English Football League chairman, fears that it will have an impact on investment and competitiveness.

Kogan was first approached about the regulator position by a source close to him, according to a source close to Kogan.

However, the appointment of a Labour donor has drawn criticism from the Tory party.

Louie French, the government’s shadow sports minister, claimed that the government had “installed one of their cronies in charge of what ought to be an independent regulator.”

He continued, “This deeply political appointment raises questions about the regulator’s ability to conduct business with the impartiality that supporters deserve.”

The Tories are “smearing” a “highly qualified, respected candidate,” according to sources from Labour.