Football regulator warns Burnham: I’ll quit if ministers meddle in Manchester City

Football regulator boss David Kogan has vowed to quit if prevented from punishing Manchester City’s owners — and is ready to ask government for extra cash to fight any legal challenge from Abu Dhabi. The Independent Football Regulator has the power to disqualify City’s owners and force Sheikh Mansour to sell up following the club’s conviction for systematically breaking Premier League rules. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has raised concerns about that outcome, prompting fears of government interference, but Kogan has made it clear he won’t stand for ministerial meddling.  “Our independence is absolute, and my independence personally is absolute,” said Kogan, who previously donated to the Labour leadership campaigns of Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Burnham’s predecessor Keir Starmer.  “I made it very clear last year that any form of political interference in the way we operate is going to result in my resigning from this role, and I stand by that completely. “To be crys