'We will play a key role in football's future' - independent football regulator David Kogan
Sheffield Wednesday's current difficulties are seen as a "significant problem" and the football regulator is aiming to acquire authority to look into club affairs in comparable cases, the newly appointed chairman the regulator has stated.
In a wide-ranging interview, Kogan, who was appointed on Monday, expressed "sympathy" towards Wednesday's fanbase.
Kogan met with four supporters' associations associated with 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.
"Obviously the club has become a serious issue for football authorities and a significant problem for football," Kogan told.
"The club represents one of the iconic names for English football and recently we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will permit us to bring Wednesday and comparable cases brought to our attention if they need to be investigated and acted upon."
Financial Struggles and Proprietorship Status
Wednesday's embattled owner the Thai businessman suggested earlier this year he would be prepared to relinquish control at the stadium, but he has failed to complete a sale with potential new owners.
Failure to pay player wages on time in spring months led to sanctions by the football authorities in summer, stopping Wednesday from completing any player acquisitions for the following recruitment periods, although the ban was rescinded in late summer.
Authority's Position
The chairman stated: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, teams facing challenges where people are committed to a community organization that has existed throughout their lifetimes in many cases.
"I completely understand the club's situation, as I do for every team that over recent decades have faced collapse, or approached financial ruin, for reasons that have nothing to do with the supporters."
When asked if the oversight body could require an proprietor to divest a club if they are considered unfit, the regulator answered: "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 Kogan stressed that forcing owners to sell clubs would be considered the final option and the oversight body would choose to cooperate with proprietors.
"The last thing what we want to do is begin intervening in an specific team, an specific proprietor, without being able to work with that chairman to fix the issues that the club's facing and the proprietor's dealing with," Kogan said.
"But the truth is, when you examine the past of the game, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been some owners, few in number, but particular people who have shown negligence in the manner they have operated their teams and eventually decline to assume obligation for the coming years."
Owls fans have been protesting against the current proprietor this season
'Errors may undo substantial development'
Kogan met with representatives from 110 clubs to detail the scope of the oversight body this week and maintained it represented a "progressive gathering" with a "significant participation" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"The role holds considerable importance, because if we get it wrong, if the football community fails, the extraordinary progress that's been made could disappear swiftly," the regulator warned.
"Such an outcome is universally undesirable in the terms of English football is a huge success story - we need to continue the progress.
"Considerable investment entering the sport and has been channeled for the recent generations, because there's no guarantee it will persist in entering the game, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on potential dangers and naturally, of the immediate future."
Elite Division Worries
Elite division representatives objected to the establishment of an oversight body because of concerns about detrimental effects on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the regulator stated: "I'm absolutely committed to the prosperity and expansion as an financial organization of the Premier League.
"Being fully aware of the apprehension regarding damaging the top flight as an elite competition of this country. But at the same time, if you engage with division representatives after today's meeting, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, actually, they have been informing us confidentially they have a high level of reassurance."
Ideological Links
The chairman continues to confront a "comprehensive investigation" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he disclosed making donations to the Labour Party in 2020.
The official contributed funds to government minister Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
"I have fully disclosed my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the regulator explained.
"I currently have no participation in any form of political activity."
