'We are going to be a part of football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
The Championship club's persistent issues are seen as a "major concern" and the new football authority is looking to gain the ability to look into club affairs in such situations, its new chair the regulator has announced.
During an extensive discussion, the regulator, who was named to the position this week, voiced concern towards the club's followers.
The regulator engaged with four supporters' associations connected to the football team in recent days.
The Championship side have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in 2025, with the club missing wage payments on five separate occasions, including in September.
"Obviously the club has become a serious issue for football authorities and a significant problem for football," the chairman stated.
"Wednesday stands as one of the great brands for English football and recently we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.
"We are seeking authority... which will allow us to have the club and similar situations submitted for our review if they warrant scrutiny and dealt with."
Economic Challenges and Ownership Situation
The team's struggling chairman the current owner indicated in the summer he would be willing to sell up at their home ground, but he has been unable to finalize an agreement with interested parties.
Failure to pay player wages on time in spring months led to sanctions by the English Football League (EFL) in summer, stopping Wednesday from completing any recruitment activities for the next three transfer windows, although those limitations were removed in the end of the transfer window.
Authority's Position
Kogan said: "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 multiple situations.
"I have absolute sympathy for the team's plight, as I do for every team that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or approached financial ruin, for factors unrelated to the followers."
Questioned about whether the regulator could force an owner to sell a club if they are considered unfit, the chairman responded: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we gather the evidence and know what's going on, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the authority would rather to cooperate with proprietors.
"The final option we would consider is commence engagement with an individual club, an particular chairman, without having the opportunity to collaborate with that proprietor to address the challenges confronting the team and the proprietor's dealing with," Kogan said.
"However, realistically, when you examine the past of the sport, over the recent generations there have been particular chairmen, a small minority, but particular people who have shown negligence in the way which they've been managing their clubs and ultimately decline to assume obligation for the coming years."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been demonstrating against the team's chairman this season
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
The regulator engaged delegates from multiple organizations to lay out the remit of the authority recently and insisted it was a "proactive meeting" with a "high level of engagement" from the grassroots to elite level.
"The role holds considerable importance, because should mistakes occur, if the sport makes errors, the extraordinary progress that's been made could disappear rapidly," the regulator warned.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the context of the English game is a major achievement - we need to continue the progress.
"Substantial financial resources coming into football and has been channeled for the recent generations, because there are no assurances it will keep flowing into the sport, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to adopt a precise perspective on risk and of course, of the immediate future."
Premier League Concerns
Top flight officials resisted the establishment of an oversight body because of concerns about detrimental effects on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the regulator stated: "I'm absolutely committed to the achievement and development as an economic entity of the elite league.
"I of all people understand the worry about compromising the top flight as an elite competition of this country. But concurrently, if you talk to the Premier League after the recent gathering, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, indeed, they have been advising us privately they have a high level of reassurance."
Political Connections
The regulator remains subject to a "comprehensive investigation" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he disclosed making donations to the opposition group in 2020.
The chairman contributed funds to government minister the minister's leadership bid, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
"I've been completely open about my previous political affiliation [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the chairman stated.
"I currently have no participation in any sort of politics."
