'We will play a key role in football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
The Championship club's ongoing struggles constitute a "significant problem" and the independent regulator is seeking powers to look into club affairs in similar circumstances, the newly appointed chairman the regulator has announced.
During an extensive discussion, the regulator, who was recently selected, expressed "sympathy" towards the club's followers.
Kogan met with four supporter groups representing the football team in recent days.
The football club have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in 2025, with the club missing wage payments on five separate occasions, including in September.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a serious issue for football authorities and a major challenge for the sport," Kogan told.
"Wednesday stands as one of the great brands for English football and recently we have met fan representatives.
"We are seeking authority... which will allow us to have Wednesday and comparable cases referred to us if they require examination and dealt with."
Economic Challenges and Leadership Concerns
The team's struggling chairman Dejphon Chansiri stated during the off-season he would be prepared to relinquish control at their home ground, but he has failed to complete a sale with interested parties.
Missed wage deadlines on time in earlier this year resulted in restrictions being imposed by the football authorities in mid-year, preventing the club from carrying out any transfers or loans for the next three transfer windows, although the ban was rescinded in late summer.
Authority's Position
Kogan said: "Our role exists to serve the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, teams facing challenges where supporters are loyal to a regional establishment that has represented their community in numerous instances.
"I fully appreciate the team's plight, as I do for each organization that over recent decades have faced collapse, or approached financial ruin, for causes separate from the fans themselves."
Inquired if the authority might compel an owner to sell a club if they are deemed unsuitable, the regulator answered: "Should the inquiry concern 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we gather the evidence and know what's going on, we will."
But the regulator clarified that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the regulator would prefer to cooperate with proprietors.
"The final option we would consider is commence engagement with an specific team, an particular chairman, without having the opportunity to collaborate with that chairman to fix the issues that the club's facing and the chairman's encountering," Kogan said.
"In actuality, when you review the record of football, over the past few decades there have been some owners, a small minority, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the manner they have operated their clubs and ultimately don't wish to take responsibility for the coming years."
Wednesday followers have been demonstrating against the team's chairman this season
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
Kogan met with delegates from multiple organizations to explain the responsibilities of the regulator on Wednesday and insisted it was a "forward-thinking discussion" with a "significant participation" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"The role holds considerable importance, because if we get it wrong, if the sport makes errors, the significant advances achieved could disappear rapidly," the chairman stated.
"And that's what nobody wants in the context of the English game is a huge success story - we must maintain momentum.
"There's an enormous amount of money coming into football and has been channeled for the recent generations, because certainty is lacking it will persist in entering the game, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to take a really clear view on challenges and obviously, of the immediate future."
Elite Division Worries
Elite division representatives objected to the creation of a regulator because of concerns about detrimental effects on the Premier League's sporting equality, but Kogan said: "I completely endorse the success and growth as an financial organization of the elite league.
"Being fully aware of the concern of undermining the Premier League as a premium product 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 considerable comfort."
Political Connections
The chairman continues to confront a "full inquiry" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he revealed he contributed money to the opposition group in 2020.
The chairman provided financial support for Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have been entirely transparent regarding my past party membership [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the parliamentary committee confirmed my selection," the regulator explained.
"I currently have no participation in any type of partisan engagement."
