'We will play a key role in football's future' - newly appointed regulator the new chairman
The Championship club's current difficulties are seen as a "serious issue" and the independent regulator is seeking powers to look into club affairs in such situations, the newly appointed chairman the regulator has stated.
In a wide-ranging interview, the regulator, who was appointed on Monday, expressed "sympathy" towards the club's followers.
The regulator engaged with four fan organizations associated with the South Yorkshire club in recent days.
The football club have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club failing to pay players on time on five separate occasions, including in the autumn.
"Obviously the club has become a serious issue for football authorities and a significant problem for football," the chairman stated.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the great brands for football in England and recently we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will permit us to bring Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs brought to our attention if they need to be investigated and acted upon."
Financial Struggles and Leadership Concerns
The club's controversial proprietor the Thai businessman suggested earlier this year he would be open to selling the club at Hillsborough, but he has failed to complete a sale with prospective buyers.
Delayed salary payments on time in March and May led to sanctions by the English Football League (EFL) in mid-year, stopping Wednesday from completing any player acquisitions for the following recruitment periods, although that restriction was lifted in August.
Authority's Position
Kogan said: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the Owls followers, Bury or any football club where supporters are loyal to a regional establishment that has represented their community in many cases.
"I fully appreciate the club's situation, as I do for each organization that over recent decades have faced collapse, or approached financial ruin, for factors unrelated to the followers."
Questioned about whether the authority might compel an owner to sell a club if they are considered unfit, the regulator answered: "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 Kogan stressed that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the regulator would prefer to work with them.
"Our least desirable course of action is begin intervening in an individual club, an particular chairman, without being in a position to cooperate with that chairman to fix the challenges confronting the team and the owner's facing," the chairman stated.
"In actuality, when you review the record of football, over the recent generations there have been some owners, not many, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the approach they have taken toward their teams and eventually decline to assume obligation for the coming years."
Wednesday followers have been demonstrating against the team's chairman during the current campaign
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
The chairman convened with representatives from 110 clubs to detail the scope of the authority recently and stated it constituted a "forward-thinking discussion" with a "significant participation" from the grassroots to elite level.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because if we get it wrong, if the world of football gets it wrong, the extraordinary progress that's been made might evaporate incredibly quickly," the chairman stated.
"And that's what nobody wants in the realm of domestic football is a huge success story - we need to continue the progress.
"Substantial financial resources coming into football and has come into football for the past two decades, because there are no assurances it will keep flowing into the sport, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to adopt a precise perspective on challenges and obviously, of the coming seasons."
Premier League Concerns
Elite division representatives objected to the creation of a regulator because of concerns about detrimental effects on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the regulator stated: "I'm absolutely committed to the prosperity and expansion as an commercial operation of the elite league.
"I of all people understand the concern of undermining the Premier League as a premium product of England. But simultaneously, if you consult with top flight officials after today's meeting, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, actually, they have been advising us privately they have a high level of reassurance."
Partisan Associations
The regulator remains subject to a "full inquiry" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he disclosed making donations to the Labour Party in 2020.
The official 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 past party membership [with Labour], and that ideological connection terminated the day the select committee approved my appointment," the chairman stated.
"I currently have no participation in any form of political activity."
