'We will play a key role in football's future' - independent football regulator the regulator's chair
The Championship club's ongoing struggles constitute a "serious issue" and the new football authority is looking to gain the ability to look into club affairs in similar circumstances, its new chair the regulator has stated.
During an extensive discussion, the regulator, who was named to the position this week, expressed "sympathy" towards Wednesday's fanbase.
The regulator engaged with four fan organizations connected to the South Yorkshire club this week.
The football club have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in 2025, with the club delaying salary disbursements on several different times, including in the autumn.
"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 historic institutions for English football and this week we have met supporters' organizations.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will enable us to take the club and similar situations referred to us if they need to be investigated and acted upon."
Economic Challenges and Ownership Situation
The team's struggling chairman the Thai businessman indicated in the summer he would be willing to sell up 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 caused limitations by the English Football League (EFL) in summer, preventing the club from carrying out any transfers or loans for the next three transfer windows, although that restriction was lifted in August.
Official's Viewpoint
The chairman stated: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, Bury or any football club where supporters are loyal to a regional establishment 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 approached financial ruin, for factors unrelated to the fans themselves."
Inquired if the authority might compel an proprietor to divest a club if they are judged inappropriate, Kogan said: "Should the inquiry concern '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 requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the oversight body would choose to work with them.
"Our least desirable course of action is commence engagement with an particular organization, an particular chairman, without having the opportunity to collaborate with that owner to try and resolve the challenges confronting the team and the chairman's encountering," the regulator explained.
"However, realistically, when you look back over the history of the game, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been certain proprietors, not many, but particular people who have shown negligence in the manner they have operated their teams and eventually don't wish to take responsibility for the coming years."
Wednesday followers have been protesting against the current proprietor in recent months
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
The chairman convened with representatives from 110 clubs to detail the scope of the regulator on Wednesday and maintained it represented a "progressive gathering" with a "high level of engagement" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"The role holds considerable importance, because if we get it wrong, if the world of football gets it wrong, the significant advances achieved might evaporate incredibly quickly," the regulator warned.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the context of the English game is a huge success story - we need to continue the progress.
"There's an enormous amount of money flowing into the game and has been channeled for the past two decades, because there's no guarantee it will continue to come into football, which is part of the rationale behind I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on potential dangers and naturally, of the coming seasons."
Top Flight Apprehensions
Elite division representatives objected to the creation of a regulator because of concerns about detrimental effects on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the regulator stated: "I fully support the prosperity and expansion as an commercial operation of the elite league.
"I of all people understand the concern of undermining the Premier League as a premium product of this country. But at the same time, if you talk to the Premier League after this week's discussion, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, in fact, they have been telling us in private they have a high level of reassurance."
Partisan Associations
The regulator remains subject to a "full inquiry" by the official appointments authority after he disclosed making donations to the opposition group in recent years.
The 68-year-old donated money to Culture Secretary the politician's campaign, along with that of the government leader.
"I've been completely open about my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the chairman stated.
"I am no longer involved in any sort of politics."
