'We will play a key role in football's future' - newly appointed regulator the regulator's chair
Sheffield Wednesday's current difficulties represent a a "serious issue" and the football regulator is aiming to acquire authority to look into club affairs in comparable cases, the newly appointed chairman the official has declared.
During an extensive discussion, the chairman, who was appointed on Monday, expressed "sympathy" towards the club's followers.
Kogan met with four fan organizations connected to the South Yorkshire club recently.
The Championship side have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club failing to pay players on time on several different times, including in the autumn.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a major concern for the league and a significant problem for football," the regulator explained.
"Wednesday stands as one of the iconic names for the English game and this week we have met supporters' organizations.
"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will permit us to bring the club and similar situations referred to us if they require examination and acted upon."
Financial Struggles and Proprietorship Status
Wednesday's embattled owner the Thai businessman suggested earlier this year he would be willing to sell up at Hillsborough, but he has been unable to finalize an agreement with potential new owners.
Missed wage deadlines on time in earlier this year resulted in restrictions being imposed by the league officials in mid-year, stopping Wednesday from completing any transfers or loans for the next three transfer windows, although those limitations were removed in late summer.
Authority's Position
Kogan said: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the Owls followers, other clubs in similar situations where fans are dedicated to a regional establishment that has been part of their lives in many cases.
"I have absolute sympathy for Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for all the clubs that in modern times have encountered failure, or nearly ceased operations, 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 deemed unsuitable, Kogan said: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we gather the evidence and understand the situation, we will."
But Kogan stressed that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the regulator would prefer to work with them.
"The final option we would consider is start getting involved with an specific team, an specific proprietor, without being able to work with that chairman to fix the issues that the club's facing and the chairman's encountering," Kogan said.
"In actuality, when you look back over the history of the sport, over the recent generations there have been some owners, few in number, but some who have been irresponsible in the approach they have taken toward their teams and eventually don't wish to take responsibility for the future."
Owls fans have been voicing opposition to the team's chairman this season
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
The chairman convened with representatives from 110 clubs to lay out the remit of the authority recently and stated it constituted a "proactive meeting" with a "high level of engagement" from the National League to the Premier League.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because should mistakes occur, if the football community fails, the significant advances achieved might evaporate swiftly," Kogan said.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the context of the English game is a huge success story - we need to continue the progress.
"Considerable investment coming into football and has been invested for the last 20 or 25 years, because certainty is lacking it will keep flowing into the sport, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to adopt a precise perspective on risk and of course, of the coming seasons."
Elite Division Worries
Elite division representatives objected to the creation of a regulator because of concerns about detrimental effects on the elite division's competitive balance, but the chairman responded: "I'm absolutely committed to the prosperity and expansion as an commercial operation of the top division.
"As someone who appreciates the worry about compromising the division as a high-quality offering of England. But concurrently, if you engage with division representatives after today's meeting, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, actually, they have been advising us privately they have a considerable comfort."
Ideological Links
The regulator remains subject to a "thorough examination" by the public appointments commissioner after he disclosed making donations to the Labour Party in 2020.
The 68-year-old donated money to government minister the minister's leadership bid, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have been entirely transparent regarding my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the chairman stated.
"I currently have no participation in any sort of politics."
