'Our role is integral to football's future' - football oversight chief the regulator's chair
The team's ongoing struggles are seen as a "significant problem" and the football regulator is looking to gain the ability to look into club affairs in similar circumstances, its new chair the regulator has announced.
During an extensive discussion, the chairman, who was appointed on Monday, voiced concern towards supporters of the Owls.
The chairman convened with four supporter groups representing the South Yorkshire club recently.
The Championship side have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club missing wage payments on several different times, including in the autumn.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a significant problem for EFL and a significant problem for football," the chairman stated.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the great brands for the English game and in recent days we have met fan representatives.
"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will enable us to take Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs submitted for our review if they require examination and addressed."
Economic Challenges and Ownership Situation
The club's controversial proprietor the Thai businessman indicated in the summer he would be open to selling the club at their home ground, but he has been unable to finalize an agreement with potential new owners.
Delayed salary payments on time in spring months caused limitations 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 chairman stated: "Our role exists to serve the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, Bury or any football club where people are committed to a regional establishment that has existed throughout their lifetimes in many cases.
"I have absolute sympathy for the team's plight, as I do for each organization that in modern times have encountered failure, or been close to going to the wall, for causes separate from the followers."
Inquired if the authority might compel an chairman to relinquish a club if they are judged inappropriate, Kogan said: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we assemble the facts and know what's going on, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that forcing owners to sell clubs would be considered the final option and the regulator would prefer to collaborate with owners.
"Our least desirable course of action is start getting involved with an individual club, an specific proprietor, without having the opportunity to collaborate with that owner to try and resolve the problems affecting the organization and the proprietor's dealing with," Kogan said.
"But the truth is, when you examine the past of the sport, over the recent generations there have been certain proprietors, not many, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the way which they've been managing their teams and eventually don't wish to take responsibility for the future."
Owls fans have been demonstrating against owner Dejphon Chansiri during the current campaign
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
The chairman convened with representatives from 110 clubs to lay out the remit of the authority recently and stated it constituted a "proactive meeting" with a "substantial involvement" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"The role holds considerable importance, because if errors are made, if the football community fails, the remarkable development accomplished might evaporate incredibly quickly," Kogan said.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the terms of English football is a major achievement - we must maintain momentum.
"Considerable investment entering the sport and has been invested for the past two decades, because there are no assurances it will keep flowing into the sport, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to take a really clear view on challenges and obviously, of the immediate future."
Premier League Concerns
The Premier League opposed the formation of an authority because of fears of a negative impact on the elite division's competitive balance, but the regulator stated: "I completely endorse the prosperity and expansion as an economic entity of the elite league.
"Being fully aware of the worry about compromising the top flight as an elite competition of this country. But simultaneously, if you engage with division representatives after today's meeting, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, actually, they have been informing us confidentially they have a significant confidence."
Ideological Links
Kogan is still facing a "full inquiry" by the official appointments authority after he disclosed making donations to the political party in 2020.
The official donated money to Culture Secretary the politician's campaign, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
"I have fully disclosed my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the chairman stated.
"I am presently disconnected from any form of political activity."
