The government has confirmed the appointment of David Kogan as chair of England’s new Independent Football Regulator, even though an inquiry into the hiring is ongoing.
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy announced in April that Kogan was the government’s preferred choice for the role, describing him as the “outstanding candidate”.
His appointment then got the approval of MPs at a pre-appointment hearing with the Culture, Media and Sport Committee in May. However, at the meeting he notified the MPs that he had made “very small” donations to Nandy and Keir Starmer’s Labour leadership campaigns in 2020.
Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage warned that Kogan's past donations “will inevitably leave him open to charges of political bias in a job where independence is paramount". Kogan pledged "total political impartiality" if appointed.
In June, Sir William Shawcross, the commissioner for public appointments, announced a “full inquiry” into the move, saying it was "necessary" after "an initial assessment of this case, informed by spot checks”.
DCMS has now confirmed that Kogan – who has negotiated a success of multi-billion pound TV rights deals on behalf of major sporting bodies including the Premier League – has been appointed for a five-year term until 19 May 2030.
It said this includes time he served as chair-designate prior to royal assent of the Football Governance Act on 21 July this year.
He will receive a salary of £130,000 for an initial time commitment of three days per week.
A DCMS spokesperson said: “The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee found David Kogan appointable after his scrutiny hearing and we are now pleased to proceed in announcing him as chair.
“It is vital that the work to set up the regulator continues at pace to strengthen the governance of the national game and for that we need a chair in post and a board put in place.
“We have cooperated fully with the inquiry by the commissioner of public appointments and await the report's publication.”
The department has also announced two non-executive appointments to the Independent Football Regulator’s board: former Charity Commission boss Dame Helen Stephenson and Simon Levine, who has been a practising lawyer in the City of London for over 35 years.
Levine and Stephenson – the latter of which has previously worked as a civil servant in the Cabinet Office and Department for Education as a director – have both declared that they have not undertaken any significant political activity. They will receive £20,800 per annum for a time commitment of one day a week.