'We are going to be a part of football's future' - football oversight chief David Kogan
Sheffield Wednesday's ongoing struggles are seen as a "serious issue" and the new football authority is seeking powers to look into club affairs in similar circumstances, its new chair the official has announced.
Through a comprehensive talk, the chairman, who was recently selected, expressed "sympathy" towards supporters of the Owls.
Kogan met with four supporter groups associated with the South Yorkshire club recently.
The Championship side have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in 2025, with the club failing to pay players on time on multiple instances, including in the autumn.
"Obviously the club has become a serious issue for football authorities and a significant problem for football," the chairman stated.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the iconic names for football in England and this week we have met fan representatives.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will permit us to bring Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs brought to our attention if they warrant scrutiny and dealt with."
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 Hillsborough, but he has not been able to secure a deal with prospective buyers.
Delayed salary payments on time in earlier this year led to sanctions by the football authorities in summer, preventing the club from carrying out any recruitment activities for the following recruitment periods, although the ban was rescinded in August.
Regulator's Perspective
Kogan said: "Our role exists to serve the Owls followers, other clubs in similar situations where fans are dedicated to a regional establishment that has represented their community in many cases.
"I have absolute sympathy for the club's situation, as I do for every team that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or approached financial ruin, for factors unrelated to the followers."
Inquired if the regulator could force an chairman to relinquish a club if they are judged inappropriate, Kogan said: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the response would be once we assemble the facts and know what's going on, we will."
But the regulator clarified that forcing owners to sell clubs would be considered the final option and the authority would rather to work with them.
"The last thing what we want to do is begin intervening in an individual club, an particular chairman, without being in a position to cooperate with that proprietor to address the problems affecting the organization and the chairman's encountering," Kogan said.
"However, realistically, when you review the record of the game, over the past few decades there have been certain proprietors, few in number, but particular people who have shown negligence in the manner they have operated their teams and eventually refuse to accept accountability for the future."
Owls fans have been demonstrating against owner Dejphon Chansiri during the current campaign
'Errors may undo substantial development'
The regulator engaged officials from numerous teams to explain the responsibilities of the authority recently and stated it constituted a "progressive gathering" with a "high level of engagement" from the grassroots to elite level.
"This position carries substantial significance, because if errors are made, if the sport makes errors, the extraordinary progress that's been made necessary will vanish rapidly," the regulator warned.
"And that's what nobody wants in the context of the English game is a huge success story - we must maintain momentum.
"There's an enormous amount of money flowing into the game and has come into football for the past two decades, 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 challenges and obviously, of the coming seasons."
Premier League Concerns
The Premier League opposed the establishment of an oversight body because of concerns about detrimental effects on the top-flight's competitiveness, but Kogan said: "I fully support the success and growth as an commercial operation of the elite league.
"I of all people understand the concern of undermining the top flight as an elite competition of the nation. But concurrently, if you consult with top flight officials after the recent gathering, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, actually, they have been advising us privately they have a significant confidence."
Partisan Associations
Kogan is still facing a "comprehensive investigation" by the official appointments authority after he acknowledged providing funds to the opposition group in 2020.
The official donated money to government minister the politician's campaign, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
"I have fully disclosed my past party membership [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the select committee approved my appointment," the regulator explained.
"I am no longer involved in any type of partisan engagement."
