'Our role is integral to football's future' - independent football regulator the regulator's chair
The team's current difficulties constitute a "major concern" and the independent regulator is looking to gain the ability to investigate clubs in such situations, its new chair the official has announced.
In a wide-ranging interview, the chairman, who was recently selected, expressed "sympathy" towards Wednesday's fanbase.
Kogan met with four supporter groups associated with the football team this week.
The Championship side have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club delaying salary disbursements on five separate occasions, including in September.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a serious issue for football authorities and a major challenge for the sport," the chairman stated.
"The club represents one of the great brands for football in England and in recent days we have met supporters' organizations.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will enable us to take Wednesday and comparable cases referred to us if they need to be investigated and dealt with."
Monetary Issues and Proprietorship Status
Wednesday's embattled owner the Thai businessman stated during the off-season he would be open to selling the club at their home ground, but he has failed to complete a sale with potential new owners.
Delayed salary payments on time in earlier this year resulted in restrictions being imposed by the football authorities in summer, preventing the club from carrying out any recruitment activities for the subsequent signing windows, although those limitations were removed in late summer.
Regulator's Perspective
The chairman stated: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, Bury or any football club where fans are dedicated to a local institution that has represented their community in many cases.
"I have absolute sympathy for the club's situation, as I do for every team that over recent decades have faced collapse, or been close to going to the wall, for causes separate from the supporters."
Questioned about whether the oversight body could require an owner to sell a club if they are considered unfit, the chairman responded: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we collect the information and understand the situation, we will."
But Kogan stressed that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be considered the final option and the oversight body would choose to work with them.
"The last thing what we want to do is begin intervening in an individual club, an individual owner, without being in a position to cooperate with that owner to try and resolve the challenges confronting the team and the chairman's encountering," the chairman stated.
"But the truth is, when you review the record of the game, over the past few decades there have been certain proprietors, a small minority, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the approach they have taken toward their teams and eventually refuse to accept accountability for the long-term prospects."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been protesting against 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 oversight body this week and stated it constituted a "proactive meeting" with a "significant participation" from the National League to the Premier League.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because if we get it wrong, if the world of football gets it wrong, the significant advances achieved might evaporate incredibly quickly," Kogan said.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the context of the English game is a huge success story - we've got to keep it going.
"There's an enormous amount of money entering the sport and has been channeled for the recent generations, because certainty is lacking it will keep flowing into the sport, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to adopt a precise perspective on challenges and obviously, of the immediate future."
Premier League Concerns
Elite division representatives objected to the formation of an authority because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the chairman responded: "I'm absolutely committed to the prosperity and expansion as an commercial operation of the elite league.
"I of all people understand the apprehension regarding damaging the top flight as an elite competition of the nation. But simultaneously, if you talk to the Premier League after today's meeting, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, indeed, they have been telling us in private they have a considerable comfort."
Political Connections
Kogan is still facing a "thorough examination" by the public appointments commissioner after he revealed he contributed money to the opposition group in 2020.
The official provided financial support for Culture Secretary the politician's campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I've been completely open about my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the select committee approved my appointment," the regulator explained.
"I currently have no participation in any type of partisan engagement."
