'We are going to be a part of football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
The Championship club's current difficulties constitute a "serious issue" and the football regulator is aiming to acquire authority to examine team situations in comparable cases, its new chair the regulator has declared.
During an extensive discussion, the chairman, who was appointed on Monday, expressed "sympathy" towards the club's followers.
The regulator engaged with four supporters' associations connected to the South Yorkshire club this week.
The Championship side have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in 2025, with the club delaying salary disbursements on multiple instances, including in last month.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a significant problem for EFL and a significant problem for football," the regulator explained.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the iconic names for football in England and recently we have met supporters' organizations.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will permit us to bring Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs referred to us if they need to be investigated and acted upon."
Financial Struggles and Proprietorship Status
Wednesday's embattled owner the current owner stated during the off-season he would be willing to sell up at the stadium, but he has not been able to secure a deal with potential new owners.
Delayed salary payments on time in March and May caused limitations by the English Football League (EFL) in mid-year, blocking the team from conducting any transfers or loans for the following recruitment periods, although the ban was rescinded in late summer.
Authority's Position
Kogan said: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, other clubs in similar situations where fans are dedicated to a regional establishment that has been part of their lives in numerous instances.
"I have absolute sympathy for the team's plight, as I do for all the clubs that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or approached financial ruin, for causes separate from the supporters."
Questioned about whether the oversight body could require an chairman to relinquish a club if they are deemed unsuitable, the chairman responded: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the response would be once we gather the evidence and understand the situation, we will."
But Kogan stressed that forcing owners to sell clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the regulator would prefer to collaborate with owners.
"The last thing what we want to do is start getting involved with an particular organization, an individual owner, without being able to work with that owner to try and resolve the issues that the club's facing and the owner's facing," Kogan said.
"But the truth is, when you review the record of football, over the recent generations there have been certain proprietors, not many, but particular people who have shown negligence in the way which they've been managing their teams and eventually don't wish to take responsibility for the future."
Wednesday followers have been protesting against the current proprietor in recent months
'Errors may undo substantial development'
The chairman convened with representatives from 110 clubs to explain the responsibilities of the regulator on Wednesday and maintained it represented a "proactive meeting" with a "significant participation" from the grassroots to elite level.
"This position carries substantial significance, because should mistakes occur, if the football community fails, the significant advances achieved necessary will vanish swiftly," Kogan said.
"And that's what nobody wants in the realm of domestic football is a huge success story - we must maintain momentum.
"There's an enormous amount of money coming into football and has come into football for the last 20 or 25 years, because there's no guarantee it will continue to come into football, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on risk and of course, of the coming seasons."
Top Flight Apprehensions
The Premier League opposed the establishment of an oversight body because of concerns about detrimental effects on the elite division's competitive balance, but Kogan said: "I fully support the prosperity and expansion as an economic entity of the elite league.
"Being fully aware of the worry about compromising the Premier League as a premium product of this country. But simultaneously, if you consult with top flight officials after today's meeting, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, indeed, they have been informing us confidentially they have a high level of reassurance."
Partisan Associations
Kogan is still facing a "thorough examination" by the official appointments authority after he revealed he contributed money to the opposition group in 2020.
The official donated money to government minister Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
"I have fully disclosed my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the select committee approved my appointment," the chairman stated.
"I currently have no participation in any type of partisan engagement."
