The Premier League Independent Oversight Panel reviews three kinds of board decision: whether a proposed director is liable to be disqualified, whether a serving director is liable to be disqualified, and decisions on a proposed change of control of a club.
What it reviews
The panel does not revisit every governance matter. Its remit is limited to three kinds of board determination set out in the rules, and each of them is a decision the board has already reached.
In that third category, review is not confined to the headline decision on control. It also covers board determinations about whether everyone treated as a director has filed a fully executed form and whether conditions should be attached.
The review proceeds under the panel's own terms of reference, which sit separately within the rules. So the panel operates through a defined review framework rather than an open-ended reconsideration of club governance.
| Board determination subject to review | What the review can cover |
|---|---|
| Proposed director disqualification determination | A decision that a person proposing to become a director is, or is not, liable to be disqualified |
| Serving director disqualification determination | A decision that a serving director is liable to be disqualified |
| Proposed change of control determination | Any board determination about a proposed change of control, including whether everyone counted as a director has filed a fully executed form and whether conditions should be attached |
Who pays in a takeover-related review
When the review arises from a proposed change of control, the club going through that proposed change of control must reimburse the league. The reimbursement covers legal and other costs, and it also covers the panel's costs.
The payment deadline is tied to the league's confirmation of what the panel determined. Once that confirmation is given, the costs must be paid within 28 days.
What stays confidential and what is published
Matters arising under these rules are confidential, but that confidentiality is not absolute. The rules carve out four categories that the league either makes public or may publish in limited circumstances.
| What | How it is handled |
|---|---|
| A register of directors | Kept by the league and open to the public |
| The annual owners' and directors' test report | Published, anonymised unless an applicant deliberately or recklessly gave false information |
| A director disqualified by written notice | The fact of it is published |
| Anything else in this part of the rules | Published only where the board decides exceptional circumstances make it in the league's best interests |
How to read the panel's role
The panel is a review body for specified board determinations, not a general supervisor of every ownership and director matter. That matters most in change-of-control cases, where the review can reach filing completeness and attached conditions as well as the board's wider determination.
The confidentiality rules are also structured rather than blanket. Public access exists through the directors register, the annual report, publication of a written disqualification notice, and a narrow exceptional-circumstances route for other information.
FAQ
Who reviews Premier League owners' and directors' test decisions?
The Independent Oversight Panel reviews the board's decisions only where they fall within the three categories set out in the rules. It is a review stage, not the body that makes those decisions in the first place.
Does the Premier League publish disqualified directors?
Yes, where the board gives written notice disqualifying a director, the fact of that disqualification is published. Other information from this part of the rules is published only if the board decides exceptional circumstances make publication in the league's best interests.
Who pays for a Premier League takeover review?
In a proposed change-of-control case, the club going through that proposed change of control reimburses the league. That includes the league's legal and other costs and the panel's costs as well.
Is the owners' and directors' test confidential?
Yes, matters under these rules are confidential as a starting point. The exceptions are the public directors register, the annual report, publication of a written disqualification notice, and any other publication the board permits in exceptional circumstances.