'Our role is integral to football's future' - football oversight chief the new chairman
The team's persistent issues represent a a "significant problem" and the independent regulator is aiming to acquire authority to look into club affairs in similar circumstances, the newly appointed chairman the regulator has stated.
Through a comprehensive talk, Kogan, who was recently selected, expressed "sympathy" towards supporters of the Owls.
The chairman convened with four supporter groups representing the South Yorkshire club in recent days.
The team have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club failing to pay players on time on several different times, including in September.
"Obviously the club has become a significant problem for EFL and a significant problem for football," Kogan told.
"Wednesday stands as one of the great brands for the English game and this week we have met fan representatives.
"We are seeking authority... which will permit us to bring the club and similar situations brought to our attention if they warrant scrutiny and addressed."
Monetary Issues and Proprietorship Status
The team's struggling chairman the Thai businessman suggested earlier this year he would be willing to sell up at their home ground, but he has failed to complete a sale with potential new owners.
Delayed salary payments on time in March and May resulted in restrictions being imposed by the English Football League (EFL) in summer, stopping Wednesday from completing any player acquisitions for the subsequent signing windows, although that restriction was lifted in August.
Official's Viewpoint
The chairman stated: "Our role exists to serve the supporters of Wednesday, teams facing challenges where supporters are loyal 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 each organization that in modern times have encountered failure, or been close to going to the wall, for reasons that have nothing to do with the fans themselves."
When asked if the regulator could force an chairman to relinquish a club if they are judged inappropriate, Kogan said: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we collect the information and know what's going on, we will."
But the regulator clarified that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be considered the final option and the oversight body would choose to cooperate with proprietors.
"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 proprietor to address the challenges confronting the team and the chairman's encountering," Kogan said.
"But the truth is, when you look back over the history of football, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been some owners, few in number, 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 long-term prospects."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been voicing opposition to the current proprietor this season
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
Kogan met with representatives from 110 clubs to detail the scope of the regulator on Wednesday and maintained it represented a "forward-thinking discussion" with a "substantial involvement" from the grassroots to elite level.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because if we get it wrong, if the football community fails, the significant advances achieved could disappear rapidly," the regulator warned.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the terms of English football is a huge success story - we've got to keep it going.
"Substantial financial resources coming into football and has come into football for the recent generations, because there are no assurances it will persist in entering the game, which is part of the rationale behind 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 formation of an authority because of concerns about detrimental effects on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the regulator stated: "I completely endorse the achievement and development as an commercial operation of the elite league.
"As someone who appreciates the apprehension regarding damaging the division as a high-quality offering of England. But concurrently, if you talk to the Premier League after today's meeting, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, indeed, they have been telling us in private they have a high level of reassurance."
Political Connections
The regulator remains subject to a "thorough examination" by the official appointments authority after he disclosed making donations to the Labour Party in 2020.
The chairman contributed funds to Culture Secretary the politician's campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have fully disclosed my previous political affiliation [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the regulator explained.
"I am no longer involved in any sort of politics."
