'Our role is integral to football's future' - newly appointed regulator the regulator's chair
The team's current difficulties represent a a "serious issue" and the football regulator is looking to gain the ability to look into club affairs in similar circumstances, the newly appointed chairman the regulator has announced.
In a wide-ranging interview, the regulator, who was appointed on Monday, showed understanding towards supporters of the Owls.
Kogan met with four fan organizations connected to the South Yorkshire club this week.
The team have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club missing wage payments on multiple instances, including in the autumn.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a significant problem for EFL and a significant problem for football," Kogan told.
"The club represents one of the iconic names for the English game and in recent days we have met supporters' organizations.
"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will enable us to take Wednesday and comparable cases submitted for our review if they need to be investigated and dealt with."
Economic Challenges and Proprietorship Status
The team's struggling chairman the Thai businessman suggested earlier this year he would be open to selling the club at Hillsborough, but he has not been able to secure a deal with potential new owners.
Failure to pay player wages on time in earlier this year resulted in restrictions being imposed by the English Football League (EFL) in summer, stopping Wednesday from completing any player acquisitions for the following recruitment periods, although that restriction was lifted in the end of the transfer window.
Regulator's Perspective
The regulator explained: "Our role exists to serve the Owls followers, Bury or any football club where fans are dedicated to a local institution that has been part of their lives in multiple situations.
"I have absolute sympathy for Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for every team that over recent decades have faced collapse, or approached financial ruin, for factors unrelated to the supporters."
Questioned about whether the oversight body could require an proprietor to divest a club if they are judged inappropriate, the regulator answered: "Should the inquiry concern 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we assemble the facts and understand the situation, we will."
But the regulator clarified that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the authority would rather to collaborate with owners.
"The final option we would consider is begin intervening in an particular organization, an particular chairman, without being able to work with that owner to try and resolve the issues that the club's facing and the chairman's encountering," the regulator explained.
"In actuality, when you look back over the history of the game, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been certain proprietors, few in number, but some who have been irresponsible in the way which they've been managing their teams and eventually don't wish to take responsibility for the coming years."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been voicing opposition to the team's chairman in recent months
'Errors may undo substantial development'
The regulator engaged delegates from multiple organizations to detail the scope of the oversight body this week and insisted it was a "progressive gathering" with a "high level of engagement" from the grassroots to elite level.
"This position carries substantial significance, because should mistakes occur, if the world of football gets it wrong, the extraordinary progress that's been made could disappear rapidly," Kogan said.
"And that's what nobody wants in the context of the English game is a substantial accomplishment - we've got to keep it going.
"Considerable investment flowing into the game and has been invested for the recent generations, because certainty is lacking it will continue to come into football, which is part of the rationale behind I think we have to take a really clear view on risk and of course, of the coming seasons."
Premier League Concerns
The Premier League opposed the formation of an authority because of fears of a negative impact on the top-flight's competitiveness, but Kogan said: "I fully support the achievement and development as an commercial operation of the top division.
"Being fully aware of the worry about compromising the Premier League as a premium product of England. But at the same time, if you consult with top flight officials after the recent gathering, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, actually, they have been informing us confidentially they have a high level of reassurance."
Partisan Associations
The regulator remains subject to a "thorough examination" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he revealed he contributed money to the opposition group in 2020.
The official contributed funds to government minister the minister's leadership bid, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
"I have fully disclosed my past party membership [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the regulator explained.
"I am presently disconnected from any type of partisan engagement."
