'We will play a key role in football's future' - independent football regulator the regulator's chair
The team's current difficulties represent a a "significant problem" and the new football authority is seeking powers to examine team situations in similar circumstances, the recently named head the regulator has announced.
Through a comprehensive talk, the chairman, who was named to the position this week, expressed "sympathy" towards Wednesday's fanbase.
Kogan met with four supporter groups representing the football team in recent days.
The Championship side have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in 2025, with the club missing wage payments on multiple instances, including in last month.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a major concern for the league and a substantial concern for English football," Kogan told.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the iconic names for the English game 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."
Monetary Issues and Proprietorship Status
The club's controversial proprietor the Thai businessman suggested earlier this year he would be open to selling the club at Hillsborough, but he has not been able to secure a deal with interested parties.
Missed wage deadlines on time in earlier this year resulted in restrictions being imposed by the English Football League (EFL) in mid-year, stopping Wednesday from completing any transfers or loans for the following recruitment periods, although the ban was rescinded in the end of the transfer window.
Regulator's Perspective
Kogan said: "Our role exists to serve the supporters of Wednesday, Bury or any football club where supporters are loyal to a community organization that has represented their community in many cases.
"I fully appreciate Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for every team that over recent decades have faced collapse, or nearly ceased operations, for factors unrelated to the followers."
Questioned about whether the authority might compel an chairman to relinquish a club if they are deemed unsuitable, Kogan said: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we collect the information and understand the situation, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the regulator would prefer to collaborate with owners.
"The final option we would consider is start getting involved with an individual club, an particular chairman, without being in a position to cooperate with that owner to try and resolve the problems affecting the organization and the chairman's encountering," Kogan said.
"But the truth is, when you examine the past of the sport, over the recent generations there have been some owners, a small minority, but some who have been irresponsible in the way which they've been managing their teams and eventually decline to assume obligation for the coming years."
Owls fans have been demonstrating against the team's chairman this season
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
Kogan met with officials from numerous teams to lay out the remit of the authority recently and stated it constituted a "proactive meeting" with a "significant participation" from the grassroots to elite level.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because should mistakes occur, if the sport makes errors, the extraordinary progress that's been made might evaporate incredibly quickly," the chairman stated.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the realm of domestic football is a substantial accomplishment - we've got to keep it going.
"There's an enormous amount of money entering the sport and has come into football for the last 20 or 25 years, because there's no guarantee 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 immediate future."
Premier League Concerns
Elite division representatives objected to the formation of an authority because of concerns about detrimental effects on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the chairman responded: "I'm absolutely committed to the achievement and development as an financial organization of the elite league.
"As someone who appreciates the concern of undermining the division as a high-quality offering of the nation. But at the same time, if you consult with top flight officials after the recent gathering, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, indeed, they have been informing us confidentially they have a significant confidence."
Political Connections
The regulator remains subject to a "comprehensive investigation" by the public appointments commissioner after he revealed he contributed money to the political party in recent years.
The 68-year-old donated money to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
"I have been entirely transparent regarding my past party membership [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the official body endorsed my nomination," Kogan said.
"I currently have no participation in any form of political activity."
