Football regulator has ‘absolute power’ to force Manchester City sale if verdict upheld

• IFR chair David Kogan insists regulator has power to act

• City have appealed against Premier League’s charges

The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) will have “absolute power” to force Manchester City’s owners to sell if they are ultimately found to have run the club improperly, the watchdog’s chair has said.

Manchester City have been found guilty of circumventing Premier League rules by an independent commission, which found they set up “sham” commercial arrangements to inflate revenues or reduce costs by over £900m over a nine-season period.