'We are going to be a part of football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
The Championship club's persistent issues represent a a "major concern" and the new football authority is aiming to acquire authority to investigate clubs in such situations, the recently named head the regulator has declared.
In a wide-ranging interview, Kogan, who was appointed on Monday, voiced concern towards Wednesday's fanbase.
The chairman convened with four supporters' associations connected to the South Yorkshire club recently.
The Championship side have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in 2025, with the club delaying salary disbursements on multiple instances, including in last month.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a major concern for the league and a substantial concern for English football," Kogan told.
"The club represents one of the historic institutions for football in England and recently we have met supporters' organizations.
"We are seeking authority... which will permit us to bring Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs referred to us if they need to be investigated and dealt with."
Economic Challenges and Leadership Concerns
Wednesday's embattled owner the current owner indicated in the summer he would be willing to sell up at Hillsborough, but he has failed to complete a sale with interested parties.
Failure to pay player wages 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 next three transfer windows, although those limitations were removed in August.
Authority's Position
The chairman stated: "Our role exists to serve the supporters of Wednesday, teams facing challenges where fans are dedicated to a community organization that has existed throughout their lifetimes in numerous instances.
"I fully appreciate the team's plight, as I do for each organization that in modern times have encountered failure, or approached financial ruin, for causes separate from the supporters."
Questioned about whether the oversight body could require an proprietor to divest a club if they are deemed unsuitable, the regulator answered: "Should the inquiry concern '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 compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be considered the final option and the regulator would prefer to cooperate with proprietors.
"The last thing what we want to do is commence engagement with an individual club, an specific proprietor, without being able to work with that proprietor to address the issues that the club's facing and the proprietor's dealing with," the regulator explained.
"In actuality, when you look back over the history of the game, over the past few decades there have been some owners, few in number, but some who have been irresponsible in the way which they've been managing their clubs and ultimately refuse to accept accountability for the coming years."
Wednesday followers have been demonstrating against the team's chairman in recent months
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
The chairman convened with representatives from 110 clubs to explain the responsibilities of the oversight body this week and stated it constituted a "proactive meeting" with a "substantial involvement" from the grassroots to elite level.
"The role holds considerable importance, because if errors are made, if the football community fails, the extraordinary progress that's been made could disappear rapidly," the chairman stated.
"Such an outcome is universally undesirable in the context of the English game is a huge success story - we need to continue the progress.
"Considerable investment coming into football and has been invested for the past two decades, because there are no assurances it will continue to come into football, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to take a really clear view on potential dangers and naturally, of the coming seasons."
Top Flight Apprehensions
Elite division representatives objected to the creation of a regulator because of concerns about detrimental effects on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the chairman responded: "I fully support the prosperity and expansion as an commercial operation of the top division.
"I of all people understand the worry about compromising the division as a high-quality offering of this country. But simultaneously, if you talk to the Premier League after this week's discussion, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, in fact, they have been telling us in private they have a significant confidence."
Ideological Links
Kogan is still facing a "full inquiry" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he acknowledged providing funds to the political party in 2020.
The 68-year-old provided financial support for Culture Secretary the politician's campaign, along with that of the government leader.
"I have been entirely transparent regarding my previous political affiliation [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the select committee approved my appointment," the chairman stated.
"I currently have no participation in any form of political activity."
