'Our role is integral to football's future' - newly appointed regulator the regulator's chair
The team's persistent issues constitute a "serious issue" and the football regulator is seeking powers to examine team situations in such situations, its new chair the regulator has announced.
In a wide-ranging interview, Kogan, who was named to the position this week, showed understanding towards supporters of the Owls.
The chairman convened with four fan organizations connected to the football team recently.
The team have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club failing to pay players on time on multiple instances, including in September.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a serious issue for football authorities and a substantial concern for English football," the chairman stated.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the historic institutions for the English game and in recent days we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.
"We are seeking authority... which will enable us to take Wednesday and comparable cases brought to our attention if they warrant scrutiny and acted upon."
Monetary Issues and Leadership Concerns
The team's struggling chairman the Thai businessman stated during the off-season he would be willing to sell up at their home ground, but he has not been able to secure a deal with potential new owners.
Failure to pay player wages on time in March and May resulted in restrictions being imposed by the football authorities in June, preventing the club from carrying out any transfers or loans for the next three transfer windows, although the ban was rescinded in the end of the transfer window.
Official's Viewpoint
The regulator explained: "Our role exists to serve the supporters of Wednesday, Bury or any football club where people are committed to a regional establishment that has been part of their lives in many cases.
"I fully appreciate the club's situation, as I do for every team that over recent decades have faced collapse, or nearly ceased operations, for causes separate from the fans themselves."
Questioned about whether the oversight body could require an chairman to relinquish a club if they are considered unfit, Kogan said: "Should the inquiry concern 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we assemble the facts and comprehend the circumstances, we will."
But the regulator clarified that forcing owners to sell clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the regulator would prefer to collaborate with owners.
"The final option we would consider is commence engagement with an individual club, an individual owner, without being able to work with that proprietor to address the issues that the club's facing and the owner's facing," Kogan said.
"But the truth is, when you review the record of the sport, over the past few decades there have been particular chairmen, not many, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the approach they have taken toward their clubs and ultimately don't wish to take responsibility for the long-term prospects."
Owls fans have been voicing opposition to owner Dejphon Chansiri in recent months
'Errors may undo substantial development'
Kogan met with representatives from 110 clubs to lay out the remit of the oversight body this week and maintained it represented a "proactive meeting" with a "substantial involvement" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because if we get it wrong, if the sport makes errors, the remarkable development accomplished necessary will vanish incredibly quickly," the chairman stated.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the terms of English football is a huge success story - we've got to keep it going.
"There's an enormous amount of money entering the sport and has been channeled 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 take a really clear view on challenges and obviously, of the next two or three years."
Premier League Concerns
Top flight officials resisted the formation of an authority because of fears of a negative impact on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the regulator stated: "I completely endorse the achievement and development as an economic entity of the Premier League.
"Being fully aware of the worry about compromising the division as a high-quality offering of this country. But concurrently, if you talk to the Premier League after this week's discussion, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, actually, they have been informing us confidentially they have a significant confidence."
Partisan Associations
The regulator remains subject to a "full inquiry" by the public appointments commissioner after he acknowledged providing funds to the political party in 2020.
The chairman contributed funds to government minister Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the government leader.
"I have fully disclosed my past party membership [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the select committee approved my appointment," the regulator explained.
"I am presently disconnected from any sort of politics."
