'Our role is integral to football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
Sheffield Wednesday's ongoing struggles constitute a "serious issue" and the new football authority is aiming to acquire authority to look into club affairs in such situations, the newly appointed chairman the regulator has declared.
In a wide-ranging interview, Kogan, who was recently selected, showed understanding towards Wednesday's fanbase.
Kogan met with four supporters' associations representing the South Yorkshire club recently.
The football club have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in 2025, with the club failing to pay players on time on multiple instances, including in last month.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a significant problem for EFL and a substantial concern for English football," the regulator explained.
"The club represents one of the great brands for football in England and in recent days we have met supporters' organizations.
"We are seeking authority... which will enable us to take Wednesday and comparable cases referred to us if they require examination and dealt with."
Monetary Issues and Proprietorship Status
Wednesday's embattled owner the current owner stated during the off-season he would be prepared to relinquish control at Hillsborough, but he has not been able to secure a deal with interested parties.
Failure to pay player wages on time in March and May resulted in restrictions being imposed by the English Football League (EFL) in mid-year, preventing the club from carrying out any transfers or loans for the subsequent signing windows, although those limitations were removed in August.
Official's Viewpoint
The regulator explained: "Our role exists to serve the Owls followers, other clubs in similar situations where supporters are loyal to a community organization that has been part of their lives in multiple situations.
"I fully appreciate the club's situation, as I do for each organization that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or approached financial ruin, for reasons that have nothing to do with the followers."
Questioned about whether the authority might compel an owner to sell a club if they are deemed unsuitable, the chairman responded: "Should the inquiry concern 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the response would be once we collect the information and comprehend the circumstances, we will."
But the regulator clarified that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the regulator would prefer to work with them.
"The last thing what we want to do is start getting involved with an individual club, an individual owner, without being in a position to cooperate with that chairman to fix the issues that the club's facing and the chairman's encountering," the chairman stated.
"However, realistically, when you review the record of the sport, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been particular chairmen, few in number, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the approach they have taken toward their teams and eventually decline to assume obligation for the future."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been protesting against owner Dejphon Chansiri in recent months
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
The regulator engaged representatives from 110 clubs to lay out the remit of the regulator on Wednesday and insisted it was a "proactive meeting" with a "high level of engagement" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"The role holds considerable importance, because if errors are made, if the world of football gets it wrong, the extraordinary progress that's been made necessary will vanish swiftly," Kogan said.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the terms of English football is a major achievement - we need to continue the progress.
"Substantial financial resources entering the sport and has been channeled for the past two decades, because certainty is lacking it will persist in entering the game, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to adopt a precise perspective on potential dangers and naturally, of the next two or three years."
Premier League Concerns
Elite division representatives objected to the creation of a regulator because of concerns about detrimental effects on the elite division's competitive balance, but the regulator stated: "I fully support the achievement and development as an financial organization of the top division.
"I of all people understand the apprehension regarding damaging the division as a high-quality offering of England. But simultaneously, if you talk to the Premier League after this week's discussion, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, actually, they have been informing us confidentially they have a significant confidence."
Ideological Links
The regulator remains subject to a "comprehensive investigation" by the public appointments commissioner after he disclosed making donations to the Labour Party in the past.
The chairman contributed funds to government minister the minister's leadership bid, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have fully disclosed my previous political affiliation [with Labour], and that ideological connection terminated the day the select committee approved my appointment," Kogan said.
"I currently have no participation in any type of partisan engagement."
