The chair of England's football regulator said on Tuesday he would resign if there was any political interference in potential sanctions against Manchester City.
The club has been found to have committed widespread breaches of Premier League financial rules, with potential punishments including a large fine, a points deduction, or even expulsion from England's top flight.
In a separate development, the UK government's Independent Football Regulator has the power to force club owners to sell and can revoke operating licences if it deems them unfit.
An independent panel determined that Manchester City — a club backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — artificially inflated revenue by more than $1 billion over nearly a decade in order to circumvent financial fair play rules.
Football regulator chair David Kogan said the body is still awaiting the outcome of Man City's appeal against that ruling.
The UAE is a major investor in the United Kingdom. Asked about the ability to maintain the regulator's independence given broader intergovernmental relations, Kogan said: "Any political interference in the way we operate would lead to me resigning from this position, and I absolutely stand by that."
"We have been under no political pressure on this or any other subject. And I don't expect to be in the future," he said.
Kogan's remarks came after UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would be "genuinely concerned" if Man City lost its current ownership. Burnham also said he would not "directly intervene in this process."
Man City is accused of providing misleading information about its finances over a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018. During that time, the club won three titles and signed some of the world's best players, before entering an unprecedented period of dominance in English football.
The guilty verdict is the biggest scandal in Premier League history and has raised questions about the club's future, which is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister of the UAE and a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family.
The Independent Football Regulator was established by the UK government last year to set governance standards in English football. Part of that includes licensing so clubs can operate, starting in November.
Kogan argued that the guilty verdict would not affect Man City's licensing because the club's appeal is still being processed.
"A verdict after the appeal process has been completed would certainly be something we would have to take into account when considering licensing or considering owners, directors and senior leaders," he said.
