'We will play a key role in football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
The Championship club's persistent issues are seen as a "serious issue" and the independent regulator is looking to gain the ability to examine team situations in similar circumstances, the newly appointed chairman the official has stated.
Through a comprehensive talk, Kogan, who was named to the position this week, voiced concern towards supporters of the Owls.
The chairman convened with four supporters' associations representing the Championship side recently.
The team have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club missing wage payments on several different times, including in last month.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a significant problem for EFL and a significant problem for football," the regulator explained.
"The club represents one of the great brands for the English game and recently we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will permit us to bring the club and similar situations referred to us if they need to be investigated and addressed."
Monetary Issues and Ownership Situation
The team's struggling chairman the current owner stated during the off-season he would be willing to sell up at Hillsborough, but he has been unable to finalize an agreement with prospective buyers.
Failure to pay player wages on time in earlier this year caused limitations by the English Football League (EFL) in mid-year, stopping Wednesday from completing any player acquisitions for the subsequent signing windows, although the ban was rescinded in August.
Official's Viewpoint
The regulator explained: "Our role exists to serve the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, other clubs in similar situations where people are committed to a local institution that has represented their community in numerous instances.
"I have absolute sympathy for the club's situation, as I do for every team that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or approached financial ruin, for reasons that have nothing to do with the fans themselves."
Questioned about whether the regulator could force an proprietor to divest a club if they are judged inappropriate, Kogan said: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we assemble the facts and comprehend the circumstances, we will."
But Kogan stressed that forcing owners to sell clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the oversight body would choose to cooperate with proprietors.
"The last thing what we want to do is start getting involved with an individual club, an particular chairman, without having the opportunity to collaborate with that owner to try and resolve the issues that the club's facing and the chairman's encountering," the regulator explained.
"However, realistically, when you review the record of the sport, over the recent generations there have been particular chairmen, a small minority, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the way which they've been managing their teams and eventually refuse to accept accountability for the coming years."
Wednesday followers have been protesting against owner Dejphon Chansiri this season
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
Kogan met with representatives from 110 clubs to explain the responsibilities 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 if we get it wrong, if the football community fails, the significant advances achieved necessary will vanish incredibly quickly," the regulator warned.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the terms of English football is a substantial accomplishment - we must maintain momentum.
"There's an enormous amount of money coming into football and has been invested for the past two decades, because there's no guarantee it will continue to come into football, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to take a really clear view on challenges and obviously, of the coming seasons."
Top Flight Apprehensions
The Premier League opposed the establishment of an oversight body because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the regulator stated: "I fully support the success and growth as an commercial operation of the Premier League.
"Being fully aware of the apprehension regarding damaging the top flight as an elite competition of this country. But concurrently, if you engage with division representatives after this week's discussion, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, in fact, they have been telling us in private they have a considerable comfort."
Political Connections
Kogan is still facing a "thorough examination" by the public appointments commissioner after he disclosed making donations to the Labour Party in the past.
The official provided financial support for government minister the minister's leadership bid, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have fully disclosed my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the parliamentary committee confirmed my selection," the chairman stated.
"I am presently disconnected from any form of political activity."
