'We will play a key role in football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
The Championship club's current difficulties constitute a "major concern" and the football regulator is aiming to acquire authority to examine team situations in similar circumstances, the recently named head the regulator has stated.
Through a comprehensive talk, the regulator, who was appointed on Monday, voiced concern towards Wednesday's fanbase.
The chairman convened with four fan organizations representing the Championship side in recent days.
The Championship side have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club missing wage payments on several different times, including in September.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a significant problem for EFL and a major challenge for the sport," Kogan told.
"The club represents one of the iconic names for the English game and recently we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.
"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will permit us to bring the club and similar situations brought to our attention if they require examination and acted upon."
Economic Challenges and Leadership Concerns
The team's struggling chairman the current owner indicated in the summer he would be open to selling the club at Hillsborough, but he has been unable to finalize an agreement with potential new owners.
Missed wage deadlines on time in March and May caused limitations by the English Football League (EFL) in mid-year, stopping Wednesday from completing any recruitment activities for the following recruitment periods, although that restriction was lifted in late summer.
Official's Viewpoint
The regulator explained: "Our role exists to serve the Owls followers, teams facing challenges where people are committed to a regional establishment that has existed throughout their lifetimes in numerous instances.
"I have absolute sympathy for the team's plight, as I do for every team that in modern times have encountered failure, or approached financial ruin, for factors unrelated to the followers."
Questioned about whether the regulator could force an proprietor to divest a club if they are considered unfit, Kogan said: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we assemble the facts and understand the situation, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the regulator would prefer to collaborate with owners.
"The final option we would consider is start getting involved with an individual club, an individual owner, without being in a position to cooperate with that proprietor to address the problems affecting the organization and the chairman's encountering," Kogan said.
"In actuality, when you review the record of football, 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 clubs and ultimately decline to assume obligation for the coming years."
Owls fans have been protesting against owner Dejphon Chansiri in recent months
'Errors may undo substantial development'
The chairman convened with representatives from 110 clubs to lay out the remit of the oversight body this week and stated it constituted a "progressive gathering" with a "high level of engagement" from the National League to the Premier League.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because if errors are made, if the sport makes errors, the extraordinary progress that's been made necessary will vanish 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 entering the sport and has come into football for the last 20 or 25 years, because there's no guarantee it will continue to come into football, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to take a really clear view on potential dangers and naturally, of the immediate future."
Top Flight Apprehensions
The Premier League opposed the creation of a regulator because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the chairman responded: "I'm absolutely committed to the achievement and development as an financial organization of the top division.
"As someone who appreciates the concern of undermining the division as a high-quality offering of this country. But simultaneously, if you engage with division representatives after today's meeting, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, in fact, they have been telling us in private they have a significant confidence."
Ideological Links
Kogan is still facing a "thorough examination" by the public appointments commissioner after he acknowledged providing funds to the opposition group in recent years.
The chairman contributed funds to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport the minister's leadership bid, along with that of the government leader.
"I have fully disclosed my past party membership [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the select committee approved my appointment," Kogan said.
"I currently have no participation in any type of partisan engagement."
