'We will play a key role in football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
The Championship club's current difficulties are seen as a "major concern" and the football regulator is looking to gain the ability to look into club affairs in comparable cases, the newly appointed chairman the official has stated.
Through a comprehensive talk, Kogan, who was appointed on Monday, expressed "sympathy" towards the club's followers.
The chairman convened with four supporters' associations representing the Championship side this week.
The football club have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club delaying salary disbursements on multiple instances, including in the autumn.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a significant problem for EFL and a major challenge for the sport," the regulator explained.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the great brands for the English game and in recent days we have met fan representatives.
"We are seeking authority... which will allow us to have the club and similar situations brought to our attention if they require examination and dealt with."
Financial Struggles and Leadership Concerns
The club's controversial proprietor the current owner suggested earlier this year he would be willing to sell up at the stadium, but he has failed to complete a sale with prospective buyers.
Delayed salary payments on time in March and May resulted in restrictions being imposed by the English Football League (EFL) in June, preventing the club from carrying out any transfers or loans for the next three transfer windows, although the ban was rescinded in August.
Official's Viewpoint
The regulator explained: "The position was created for the supporters of Wednesday, teams facing challenges where people are committed to a regional establishment that has existed throughout their lifetimes in many cases.
"I have absolute sympathy for Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for every team that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or nearly ceased operations, for factors unrelated to the followers."
Questioned about whether the authority might compel an proprietor to divest a club if they are considered unfit, the chairman responded: "Should the inquiry concern 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we collect the information and understand the situation, we will."
But Kogan stressed that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the regulator would prefer to collaborate with owners.
"Our least desirable course of action is start getting involved with an particular organization, an particular chairman, without being able to work with that proprietor to address the issues that the club's facing and the chairman's encountering," the chairman stated.
"In actuality, when you examine the past of football, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been certain proprietors, not many, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the way which they've been managing their clubs and ultimately decline to assume obligation for the future."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been protesting against owner Dejphon Chansiri in recent months
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
The chairman convened with representatives from 110 clubs to explain the responsibilities of the oversight body this week and maintained it represented a "progressive gathering" with a "significant participation" from the grassroots to elite level.
"This position carries substantial significance, because if errors are made, if the football community fails, the extraordinary progress that's been made necessary will vanish rapidly," Kogan said.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the realm of domestic football is a huge success story - we must maintain momentum.
"Considerable investment entering the sport and has come into football for the recent generations, because certainty is lacking it will continue to come into football, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to adopt a precise perspective on challenges and obviously, of the coming seasons."
Elite Division Worries
Elite division representatives objected to the creation of a regulator because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the elite division's competitive balance, but the chairman responded: "I fully support the achievement and development as an financial organization of the top division.
"As someone who appreciates the apprehension regarding damaging the division as a high-quality offering of the nation. But simultaneously, if you engage with division representatives after the recent gathering, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, indeed, they have been telling us in private they have a high level of reassurance."
Partisan Associations
The chairman continues to confront a "thorough examination" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he acknowledged providing funds to the political party in 2020.
The chairman contributed funds to Culture Secretary the politician's campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have been entirely transparent regarding my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that ideological connection terminated the day the select committee approved my appointment," Kogan said.
"I am presently disconnected from any sort of politics."
