Media executive set to be named chair of new independent football regulator

David Kogan has previously advised the Premier League and EFL on TV rights deals and will hold a crucial role in the game

The football regulator will hold key powers within English football (Getty Images)

David Kogan has been selected as the Government's preferred candidate to chair football's new independent regulator.

Kogan, who has previously advised the Premier League and the EFL on television rights deals in a 45-year career as a media executive, business leader and corporate advisor, is now set to head up the watchdog intended to ensure football clubs in the top five tiers are financially sustainable.

The regulator is also crucially set to have 'backstop' powers to impose a financial settlement between the leagues if they cannot agree one.

David Kogan is set to be appointed the new independent football regulator (AFP via Getty Images)

Kogan will now appear before MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport select committee for pre-appointment scrutiny.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said Kogan brought a "wealth of experience" which made him an "outstanding candidate" to chair the regulator.

"This will be a vital, public role to ensure sensible, light-touch regulation helps to strengthen financial sustainability and put fans back at the heart of the game," she added.

Kogan said: "Across the country millions of us share a passion for football, a game that is not only part of our national heritage but one of our most valuable cultural exports.

"That's why as both a supporter and someone with many years spent working in football, I am honoured to have been asked to be the preferred candidate for chair of the newly created independent football regulator.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has named David Kogan as the preferred choice for independent football regulator (PA Wire)

"Our professional clubs, whatever their size, are a source of local and national pride. They generate economic growth and investment, unite communities, and create shared experiences and memories that transcend generations.

"The job of the regulator is to work with those clubs, their owners, and their supporters to create a dynamic framework that will ensure the game is on a sound financial footing so that it can continue to flourish and to grow. I cannot wait to get started."

The creation of the regulator is at the heart of the Football Governance Bill, which is set to be further debated in the House of Commons next week.

PA