Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Downing Street, April 2025 (Credit: Malcolm Park/Alamy Live News)
3 min read
Senior Conservative MPs have criticised the “outrageous” government decision to appoint a Labour donor as the head of the new independent football regulator.
David Kogan, a former sports media rights executive, has been put forward as the government’s preferred choice to chair the regulator. Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, said Kogan was an “outstanding candidate” for the post.
PoliticsHome has found that Kogan donated almost £75,000 to Labour MPs and successful Labour parliamentary candidates in 2023 and 2024, according to publicly declared interests.
His donations include £2,500 to Keir Starmer’s local Labour Party last year and £5,000 to Rachel Reeves in 2023 when she was shadow chancellor.
Since 2023, he has directly given money to at least 16 current Labour MPs, including £5,500 to James Frith, Labour MP for Bury North, who sits on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
In 2022, Kogan also donated a further £8,700 to Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, the Labour MP for Tooting, who was shadow sports minister until 2020 and a member of Starmer’s shadow cabinet.
Shadow culture secretary Stuart Andrew told PoliticsHome: “This blows it out of the water, and this is outrageous. Lots of people were approached to make sure everyone would have confidence in the regulator.
“That is what UEFA and FIFA expect. Now we have someone who has invested money in Labour MPs. How can they possibly argue it is independent?”
Kogan has advised and negotiated multi-billion-pound TV rights deals on behalf of the Premier League and the English Football League in the past.
He was chair of the board of the Labour Party-focused website LabourList until he quit as a director earlier this month, and has written books on the Labour Party.
Kogan is set to be scrutinised by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of MPs prior to taking the role in a hearing on Wednesday 7 May.
Caroline Dineage, the Conservative chair of the committee, told PoliticsHome: “The select committee will have to conduct a pre-appointment hearing with the government’s preferred candidate. I expect we’ll ask questions about the recruitment process and the credentials of the individual.
“The clue is in the title — this is an Independent regulator and that implies independent from government, political parties and specific football clubs.”
A Labour source said the claims were a “shameful attempt by the Tories to undermine the independent football regulator” and to smear a highly qualified, respected candidate for its leadership.
“Labour backs a regulator that puts fans first and safeguards the future of English football – ensuring our clubs are run sustainably, fairly, and with the supporters at the heart of the game,” they said.
The independent football regulator will be responsible for overseeing the top five leagues of English football with the core aims of improving financial sustainability of clubs and protecting their heritage.
Sky News has reported that the chair of the IFR will earn around £130,000 a year.
The Football Governance Bill has completed its journey through the House of Lords and will arrive in the Commons for its Second Reading on Monday, 28 April.
A shadow regulator has been in place for more than a year, headed by civil servant Martyn Henderson. Government sources never expected Henderson to lead the IFR once the Football Governance Bill was enacted into law.
The bill is expected to receive cross-party support despite significant opposition from Conservative peers.
Kogan declined to comment when approached by PoliticsHome.
