'We will play a key role in football's future' - independent football regulator the regulator's chair
Sheffield Wednesday's persistent issues constitute a "significant problem" and the new football authority is looking to gain the ability to examine team situations in such situations, its new chair the official has announced.
Through a comprehensive talk, Kogan, who was recently selected, voiced concern towards the club's followers.
Kogan met with four supporter groups connected to the South Yorkshire club this week.
The team have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club missing wage payments on multiple instances, including in the autumn.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a serious issue for football authorities and a major challenge for the sport," Kogan told.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the historic institutions for football in England and in recent days we have met fan representatives.
"We are seeking authority... which will permit us to bring Wednesday and comparable cases brought to our attention if they need to be investigated and dealt with."
Monetary Issues and Ownership Situation
The team's struggling chairman the Thai businessman indicated in the summer he would be open to selling the club at their home ground, but he has been unable to finalize an agreement with potential new owners.
Failure to pay player wages on time in spring months caused limitations by the English Football League (EFL) in June, blocking the team from conducting any recruitment activities for the following recruitment periods, although that restriction was lifted in August.
Authority's Position
Kogan said: "Our role exists to serve the Owls followers, teams facing challenges where people are committed to a community organization that has represented their community in multiple situations.
"I have absolute sympathy for Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for all the clubs that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or nearly ceased operations, for factors unrelated to the followers."
Questioned about whether the oversight body could require an chairman to relinquish a club if they are judged inappropriate, the regulator answered: "Should the inquiry concern 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we assemble the facts and comprehend the circumstances, we will."
But the regulator clarified that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the oversight body would choose to collaborate with owners.
"The final option we would consider is start getting involved with an specific team, an individual owner, 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 certain proprietors, few in number, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the approach they have taken toward their teams and eventually don't wish to take responsibility for the coming years."
Wednesday followers have been demonstrating against owner Dejphon Chansiri during the current campaign
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
Kogan met with representatives from 110 clubs to explain the responsibilities of the authority recently and maintained it represented a "progressive gathering" with a "significant participation" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"This position carries substantial significance, because should mistakes occur, if the world of football gets it wrong, the extraordinary progress that's been made could disappear incredibly quickly," the regulator warned.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the terms of English football is a substantial accomplishment - we need to continue the progress.
"There's an enormous amount of money entering the sport and has been invested for the last 20 or 25 years, because there are no assurances 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
The Premier League opposed the formation of an authority because of concerns about detrimental effects on the elite division's competitive balance, but the chairman responded: "I completely endorse the prosperity and expansion as an financial organization of the Premier League.
"I of all people understand the apprehension regarding damaging the division as a high-quality offering of this country. But concurrently, if you talk to the Premier League after this week's discussion, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, actually, they have been informing us confidentially they have a considerable comfort."
Ideological Links
The chairman continues to confront 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 current Prime Minister.
"I've been completely open about my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the select committee approved my appointment," Kogan said.
"I am presently disconnected from any sort of politics."
