'We are going to be a part of football's future' - football oversight chief the regulator's chair
The team's persistent issues are seen as a "serious issue" and the independent regulator is looking to gain the ability to look into club affairs in such situations, the recently named head the official has stated.
In a wide-ranging interview, Kogan, who was named to the position this week, expressed "sympathy" towards Wednesday's fanbase.
The regulator engaged with four fan organizations representing the South Yorkshire club this week.
The football club have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in 2025, with the club missing wage payments on several different times, including in last month.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a serious issue for football authorities and a major challenge for the sport," the chairman stated.
"Wednesday stands as one of the historic institutions for the English game and in recent days we have met supporters' organizations.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will allow us to have the club and similar situations referred to us if they require examination and dealt with."
Monetary Issues and Leadership Concerns
The team's struggling chairman the current owner stated during the off-season he would be prepared to relinquish control at Hillsborough, but he has not been able to secure a deal with prospective buyers.
Delayed salary payments on time in earlier this year led to sanctions by the English Football League (EFL) in June, stopping Wednesday from completing any recruitment activities for the following recruitment periods, although those limitations were removed in August.
Official's Viewpoint
The regulator explained: "The position was created for the supporters of Wednesday, teams facing challenges where people are committed to a local institution that has been part of their lives in many cases.
"I completely understand Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for every team that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or approached financial ruin, for factors unrelated to the followers."
When asked if the regulator could force an proprietor to divest a club if they are deemed unsuitable, the chairman responded: "Should the inquiry concern 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we collect the information and know what's going on, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that forcing owners to sell clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the regulator would prefer to cooperate with proprietors.
"The last thing what we want to do is begin intervening in an specific team, an individual owner, without having the opportunity to collaborate with that owner to try and resolve the problems affecting the organization and the owner's facing," Kogan said.
"But the truth is, when you look back over the history of the game, over the recent generations there have been some owners, a small minority, but some who have been irresponsible in the manner they have operated their clubs and ultimately refuse to accept accountability for the coming years."
Wednesday followers have been protesting against the team's chairman in recent months
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
The chairman convened with representatives from 110 clubs to detail the scope of the authority recently and maintained it represented a "proactive meeting" with a "substantial involvement" from the grassroots to elite level.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because if errors are made, if the world of football gets it wrong, the extraordinary progress that's been made could disappear swiftly," the regulator warned.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the context of the English game is a huge success story - we must maintain momentum.
"Substantial financial resources entering the sport and has come into football for the last 20 or 25 years, because certainty is lacking it will continue to come into football, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to adopt a precise perspective on challenges and obviously, of the coming seasons."
Elite Division Worries
Top flight officials resisted the formation of an authority because of concerns about detrimental effects on the elite division's competitive balance, but the chairman responded: "I fully support the achievement and development as an commercial operation of the elite league.
"As someone who appreciates the apprehension regarding damaging the Premier League as a premium product of this country. But concurrently, if you consult with top flight officials after today's meeting, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, in fact, they have been telling us in private they have a high level of reassurance."
Partisan Associations
The chairman continues to confront a "full inquiry" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he disclosed making donations to the opposition group in 2020.
The chairman donated money to government minister Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have fully disclosed my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the select committee approved my appointment," the regulator explained.
"I am no longer involved in any type of partisan engagement."
