'Our role is integral to football's future' - football oversight chief the regulator's chair
The team's ongoing struggles represent a a "major concern" and the independent regulator is looking to gain the ability to examine team situations in comparable cases, its new chair the official has announced.
In a wide-ranging interview, the chairman, who was recently selected, expressed "sympathy" towards supporters of the Owls.
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 delaying salary disbursements on multiple instances, including in last month.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a significant problem for EFL and a substantial concern for English 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 are seeking authority... which will enable us to take Wednesday and comparable cases submitted for our review if they warrant scrutiny and addressed."
Economic Challenges and Ownership Situation
The club's controversial proprietor Dejphon Chansiri suggested earlier this year he would be prepared to relinquish control at the stadium, but he has been unable to finalize an agreement with potential new owners.
Delayed salary payments on time in earlier this year led to sanctions by the English Football League (EFL) in summer, preventing the club from carrying out any player acquisitions for the subsequent signing windows, although those limitations were removed in the end of the transfer window.
Regulator's Perspective
The chairman stated: "The position was created for the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, teams facing challenges where fans are dedicated to a community organization that has existed throughout their lifetimes in multiple situations.
"I fully appreciate the club's situation, 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 oversight body could require an chairman to relinquish a club if they are judged inappropriate, the regulator answered: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we gather the evidence and comprehend the circumstances, we will."
But the regulator clarified that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the authority would rather to work with them.
"Our least desirable course of action is begin intervening in an individual club, an individual owner, without being in a position to cooperate with that proprietor to address the issues that the club's facing and the proprietor's dealing with," the chairman stated.
"But the truth is, when you look back over the history of the sport, over the past few decades there have been certain proprietors, not many, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the way which they've been managing their clubs and ultimately don't wish to take responsibility for the long-term prospects."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been voicing opposition to the team's chairman in recent months
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
Kogan met with delegates from multiple organizations to lay out the remit of the authority recently and insisted it was a "forward-thinking discussion" 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 errors are made, if the world of football gets it wrong, the extraordinary progress that's been made necessary will vanish rapidly," Kogan said.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the realm of domestic football is a huge success story - we need to continue the progress.
"Substantial financial resources entering the sport and has been channeled for the recent generations, because certainty is lacking it will continue to come into football, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on risk and of course, of the immediate future."
Top Flight Apprehensions
Top flight officials resisted the formation of an authority because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the regulator stated: "I completely endorse the prosperity and expansion as an economic entity of the Premier League.
"Being fully aware of the apprehension regarding damaging the Premier League as a premium product of the nation. But at the same time, if you engage with division representatives after today's meeting, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, indeed, they have been informing us confidentially they have a high level of reassurance."
Political Connections
The chairman continues to confront a "full inquiry" by the official appointments authority after he acknowledged providing funds to the opposition group in 2020.
The official 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 ideological connection terminated the day the official body endorsed my nomination," Kogan said.
"I currently have no participation in any type of partisan engagement."
