The selection of David Kogan as chair of the Independent Football Regulator has been likened to a “mafia appointment in Sicily sometime in the 1950s” at a committee hearing in Parliament.
Conservative MP Simon Hoare, chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, made the claim during a hearing discussing William Shawcross’s report into Governance Code breaches by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy surrounding the appointment of media rights expert Kogan to the football quango.
Hoare also asked whether there should be concerns that “if you want to be successful in the application process, [you] bung a few quid to the party in government, and you enhance your chance of securing the position”.
The report found breaches by Nandy, while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer admitted he made a mistake in rubber-stamping the appointment of Labour donor Kogan.
Shawcross, the British Commissioner for Public Appointments, said he had never seen an appointment with as many breaches – three – as in Kogan’s to the football regulator.
“It’s not easy to set those breaches aside,” Shawcross told the committee. “I found three breaches in the conduct of this campaign. I have never found three breaches in the conduct of any other campaign in the last four and a half years.
“The first breach was that the Secretary of State did not declare and resolve appropriately the donations that she had received from Mr Kogan before appointing him. Second, the donations were not discussed with Mr Kogan at his panel interview. And thirdly, the department did not disclose Mr Kogan’s political activity in the appropriate manner.
“These were three serious breaches and it was very disturbing to find them.”
Kogan’s appointment process under fire
Kogan officially took office in October and, as regulator, is tasked primarily with improving the sustainability of the English football pyramid.
Labour MP Peter Lamb reminded the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, with Shawcross in agreement, that Kogan was initially identified as a candidate under the previous Conservative government. Lamb also pointed out that the £1,400 donated to Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership campaign by Kogan represented around 0.15 per cent of the around £1m in total contributions to the now-Prime Minister.
“The bar should be that everything should be done transparently,” Shawcross added. “And in this case, there were, amongst other problems, a lack of transparency by the Secretary of State and Mr Kogan himself. And that’s the problem.”
For context on the three Governance Code breaches found by Shawcross’ report into Nandy, the commissioner stated that for the 2023-24 year over 1,000 appointments and reappointments were made with 10 complaints finding just six breaches.
DCMS was approached for comment.
IFR chair Kogan said: “I was asked to apply for the IFR role in May 2024 by the last Conservative government, which was considering bringing forward legislation. They were aware I was a Labour donor and had already appointed me to the board of Channel 4.
“I reiterated this when interviewed for the job and in my evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport select committee and its Conservative chairman endorsed me for the role provided I demonstrated political independence. I have since ended all connections with the Labour Party.
“I have been completely transparent throughout and the Shawcross report accepted my suitability for the role and confirmed I was unaware of any deviation from best practice.”