'Our role is integral to football's future' - independent football regulator David Kogan
Sheffield Wednesday's ongoing struggles constitute a "major concern" and the independent regulator is seeking powers to examine team situations in similar circumstances, its new chair the official has stated.
In a wide-ranging interview, Kogan, who was named to the position this week, showed understanding towards Wednesday's fanbase.
The chairman convened with four supporters' associations representing the South Yorkshire club in recent days.
The team have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in 2025, with the club missing wage payments on several different times, including in the autumn.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a major concern for the league and a significant problem for football," the regulator explained.
"The club represents one of the iconic names for the English game and recently we have met supporters' organizations.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will allow us to have Wednesday and comparable cases referred to us if they warrant scrutiny and addressed."
Financial Struggles and Proprietorship Status
The club's controversial proprietor Dejphon Chansiri stated during the off-season he would be prepared to relinquish control at the stadium, but he has failed to complete a sale with potential new owners.
Failure to pay player wages on time in March and May resulted in restrictions being imposed by the league officials in summer, preventing the club from carrying out any recruitment activities for the following recruitment periods, although the ban was rescinded in August.
Authority's Position
Kogan said: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, Bury or any football club where people are committed to a regional establishment that has been part of their lives in numerous instances.
"I fully appreciate Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for every team that in modern times have encountered failure, or approached financial ruin, for causes separate from the fans themselves."
Questioned about whether the authority might compel an proprietor to divest a club if they are deemed unsuitable, Kogan said: "Should the inquiry concern 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the response would be once we gather the evidence and know what's going on, we will."
But Kogan stressed that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the regulator would prefer to collaborate with owners.
"Our least desirable course of action is commence engagement with an specific team, an specific proprietor, without being able to work with that chairman to fix the problems affecting the organization and the owner's facing," the chairman stated.
"However, realistically, when you examine the past of football, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been some owners, not many, but some who have been irresponsible in the approach they have taken toward their organizations and finally refuse to accept accountability for the coming years."
Wednesday followers have been voicing opposition to the team's chairman this season
'Errors may undo substantial development'
Kogan met with officials from numerous teams to detail the scope of the oversight body this week and maintained it represented a "proactive meeting" with a "high level of engagement" from the National League to the Premier League.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because if we get it wrong, if the football community fails, the remarkable development accomplished could disappear swiftly," the chairman stated.
"And that's what nobody wants in the context of the English game is a major achievement - we've got to keep it going.
"Considerable investment coming into football and has been invested for the recent generations, because there's no guarantee it will persist in entering the game, which is part of the rationale behind I think we have to take a really clear view on potential dangers and naturally, of the immediate future."
Premier League Concerns
Top flight officials resisted the creation of a regulator because of concerns about detrimental effects on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the regulator stated: "I fully support the success and growth as an financial organization of the elite league.
"I of all people understand the worry about compromising the top flight as an elite competition of England. But concurrently, if you consult with top flight officials after this week's discussion, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, actually, they have been informing us confidentially they have a significant confidence."
Ideological Links
The chairman continues to confront a "comprehensive investigation" by the official appointments authority after he acknowledged providing funds to the opposition group in recent years.
The 68-year-old provided financial support for government minister the politician's 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," the regulator explained.
"I am presently disconnected from any sort of politics."
