'We are going to be a part of football's future' - newly appointed regulator the regulator's chair
Sheffield Wednesday's persistent issues are seen as a "serious issue" and the football regulator is seeking powers to examine team situations in similar circumstances, the recently named head the regulator has stated.
During an extensive discussion, the chairman, who was appointed on Monday, expressed "sympathy" towards supporters of the Owls.
The regulator engaged with four supporters' associations connected to the South Yorkshire club in recent days.
The team have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in 2025, with the club missing wage payments on multiple instances, including in September.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a serious issue for football authorities and a major challenge for the sport," Kogan told.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the great brands for football in England and recently we have met fan representatives.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will enable us to take Wednesday and comparable cases submitted for our review if they require examination and dealt with."
Economic Challenges and Leadership Concerns
Wednesday's embattled owner the Thai businessman indicated in the summer he would be prepared to relinquish control at the stadium, but he has failed to complete a sale with potential new owners.
Missed wage deadlines on time in earlier this year resulted in restrictions being imposed by the English Football League (EFL) in mid-year, stopping Wednesday from completing any transfers or loans for the next three transfer windows, although that restriction was lifted in the end of the transfer window.
Official's Viewpoint
The chairman stated: "Our role exists to serve the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, other clubs in similar situations where people are committed to a community organization that has existed throughout their lifetimes in numerous instances.
"I fully appreciate the team's plight, as I do for each organization that over recent decades have faced collapse, or been close to going to the wall, for reasons that have nothing to do with the fans themselves."
Questioned about whether the authority might compel an chairman to relinquish a club if they are considered unfit, Kogan said: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we gather the evidence and know what's going on, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that forcing owners to sell clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the authority would rather to cooperate with proprietors.
"The final option we would consider is commence engagement with an individual club, an individual owner, without being in a position to cooperate with that owner to try and resolve the issues that the club's facing and the chairman's encountering," the chairman stated.
"However, realistically, when you examine the past of football, over the past few decades there have been some owners, a small minority, but some who have been irresponsible in the way which they've been managing their teams and eventually decline to assume obligation for the coming years."
Wednesday followers have been protesting against the current proprietor during the current campaign
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
The regulator engaged officials from numerous teams to explain the responsibilities of the authority recently and insisted it was a "progressive gathering" with a "substantial involvement" from the grassroots to elite level.
"The role holds considerable importance, because if we get it wrong, if the football community fails, the extraordinary progress that's been made could disappear swiftly," the chairman stated.
"And that's what nobody wants in the realm of domestic football is a major achievement - we've got to keep it going.
"There's an enormous amount of money flowing into the game and has come into football for the past two decades, because there's no guarantee it will continue to come into football, which is part of the rationale behind I think we have to take a really clear view on potential dangers and naturally, of the coming seasons."
Premier League Concerns
The Premier League opposed the creation of a regulator because of concerns about detrimental effects on the elite division's competitive balance, but the regulator stated: "I fully support the prosperity and expansion as an commercial operation of the Premier League.
"As someone who appreciates the concern of undermining the top flight as an elite competition of the nation. But at the same time, if you engage with division representatives after the recent gathering, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, in fact, they have been telling us in private they have a high level of reassurance."
Ideological Links
Kogan is still facing a "thorough examination" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he acknowledged providing funds to the Labour Party in 2020.
The 68-year-old contributed funds to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport the politician's campaign, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
"I've been completely open about my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that ideological connection terminated the day the select committee approved my appointment," the chairman stated.
"I am presently disconnected from any sort of politics."
