'We will play a key role in football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
The team's current difficulties are seen as a "significant problem" and the new football authority is aiming to acquire authority to examine team situations in comparable cases, its new chair the official has declared.
In a wide-ranging interview, Kogan, who was recently selected, expressed "sympathy" towards the club's followers.
The regulator engaged with four supporter groups connected to the South Yorkshire club this week.
The Championship side have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in 2025, with the club delaying salary disbursements on several different times, including in September.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a significant problem for EFL and a substantial concern for English football," the regulator explained.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the iconic names for English football and in recent days we have met supporters' organizations.
"We are seeking authority... which will permit us to bring the club and similar situations submitted for our review if they warrant scrutiny and addressed."
Economic Challenges and Leadership Concerns
The team's struggling chairman the current owner indicated in the summer he would be willing to sell up at the stadium, but he has not been able to secure a deal with potential new owners.
Missed wage deadlines on time in spring months caused limitations by the league officials in summer, stopping Wednesday from completing any player acquisitions for the next three transfer windows, although those limitations were removed in the end of the transfer window.
Official's Viewpoint
The regulator explained: "Our role exists to serve the Owls followers, Bury or any football club where supporters are loyal to a regional establishment that has represented their community in multiple situations.
"I completely understand the team's plight, as I do for all the clubs that in modern times have encountered failure, or nearly ceased operations, for reasons that have nothing to do with the supporters."
Inquired if the oversight body could require an chairman to relinquish a club if they are judged inappropriate, the chairman responded: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the response would be once we collect the information and understand the situation, we will."
But the regulator clarified that forcing owners to sell clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the authority would rather to cooperate with proprietors.
"Our least desirable course of action is commence engagement with an particular organization, an specific proprietor, without being in a position to cooperate with that proprietor to address the problems affecting the organization and the owner's facing," the chairman stated.
"However, realistically, when you examine the past of the game, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been some owners, not many, but particular people who have shown negligence in the way which they've been managing their organizations and finally refuse to accept accountability for the long-term prospects."
Owls fans have been demonstrating against owner Dejphon Chansiri in recent months
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
Kogan met with delegates from multiple organizations to detail the scope of the authority recently and maintained it represented 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 should mistakes occur, if the world of football gets it wrong, the significant advances achieved might evaporate rapidly," the chairman stated.
"And that's what nobody wants in the realm of domestic football is a substantial accomplishment - we must maintain momentum.
"There's an enormous amount of money coming into football and has been invested for the last 20 or 25 years, because there are no assurances it will persist in entering the game, which is part of the rationale behind I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on potential dangers and naturally, of the next two or three years."
Top Flight Apprehensions
The Premier League opposed the establishment of an oversight body because of concerns about detrimental effects on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the chairman responded: "I'm absolutely committed to the achievement and development as an economic entity of the top division.
"As someone who appreciates the apprehension regarding damaging the division as a high-quality offering of this country. But concurrently, if you consult with top flight officials after the recent gathering, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, in fact, they have been advising us privately they have a considerable comfort."
Ideological Links
The chairman continues to confront a "full inquiry" by the public appointments commissioner after he acknowledged providing funds to the Labour Party in 2020.
The chairman contributed funds to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have fully disclosed my past party membership [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the official body endorsed my nomination," Kogan said.
"I currently have no participation in any sort of politics."
