'We will play a key role in football's future' - independent football regulator the regulator's chair
Sheffield Wednesday's ongoing struggles are seen as a "serious issue" and the independent regulator is seeking powers to examine team situations in similar circumstances, its new chair the regulator has announced.
During an extensive discussion, the chairman, who was named to the position this week, expressed "sympathy" towards supporters of the Owls.
The chairman convened with four supporters' associations connected to the South Yorkshire club this week.
The football club have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club failing to pay players on time on multiple instances, including in last month.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a major concern for the league and a substantial concern for English football," the chairman stated.
"The club represents one of the historic institutions for the English game and this week we have met supporters' organizations.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will permit us to bring Wednesday and comparable cases referred to us if they need to be investigated and acted upon."
Monetary Issues and Proprietorship Status
The club's controversial proprietor the Thai businessman stated during the off-season he would be open to selling the club at Hillsborough, but he has failed to complete a sale with interested parties.
Missed wage deadlines on time in earlier this year caused limitations by the English Football League (EFL) in summer, stopping Wednesday from completing any player acquisitions for the next three transfer windows, although the ban was rescinded in August.
Regulator's Perspective
Kogan said: "Our role exists to serve the supporters of Wednesday, teams facing challenges where supporters are loyal to a regional establishment that has represented their community in many cases.
"I completely understand Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for every team that over recent decades have faced collapse, or been close to going to the wall, for factors unrelated to the supporters."
When asked if the regulator could force an owner to sell a club if they are judged inappropriate, the chairman responded: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the response would be once we collect the information and understand the situation, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be considered the final option and the oversight body would choose to collaborate with owners.
"Our least desirable course of action is commence engagement with an specific team, an individual owner, without being in a position to cooperate with that chairman to fix the issues that the club's facing and the owner's facing," Kogan said.
"However, realistically, when you look back over the history of football, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been particular chairmen, not many, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the manner they have operated their teams and eventually refuse to accept accountability for the future."
Owls fans have been demonstrating against the current proprietor this season
'Errors may undo substantial development'
The regulator engaged delegates from multiple organizations to lay out the remit of the oversight body this week and maintained it represented a "progressive gathering" with a "high level of engagement" from the grassroots to elite level.
"This position carries substantial significance, because if we get it wrong, if the football community fails, the remarkable development accomplished could disappear incredibly quickly," the chairman stated.
"Such an outcome is universally undesirable in the terms of English football is a major achievement - we need to continue the progress.
"Considerable investment entering the sport and has been invested for the recent generations, because there are no assurances it will persist in entering the game, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to take a really clear view on potential dangers and naturally, of the next two or three years."
Elite Division Worries
The Premier League opposed the formation of an authority because of fears of a negative impact 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 Premier League.
"I of all people understand the concern of undermining the Premier League as a premium product of this country. But simultaneously, if you consult with top flight officials after today's meeting, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, indeed, they have been informing us confidentially they have a high level of reassurance."
Ideological Links
Kogan is still facing a "full inquiry" by the official appointments authority after he disclosed making donations to the Labour Party in 2020.
The 68-year-old provided financial support for Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
"I have fully disclosed my previous political affiliation [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the official body endorsed my nomination," Kogan said.
"I am no longer involved in any sort of politics."
