'We are going to be a part of football's future' - newly appointed regulator the new chairman
Sheffield Wednesday's persistent issues constitute a "serious issue" and the new football authority is seeking powers to examine team situations in such situations, the recently named head the regulator has stated.
In a wide-ranging interview, Kogan, who was recently selected, showed understanding towards Wednesday's fanbase.
Kogan met with four supporter groups connected to the football team recently.
The team have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in 2025, with the club failing to pay players on time on multiple instances, including in the autumn.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a serious issue for football authorities and a substantial concern for English football," the regulator explained.
"Wednesday stands as one of the iconic names for football in England and this week we have met supporters' organizations.
"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will enable us to take the club and similar situations brought to our attention if they need to be investigated and acted upon."
Economic Challenges and Proprietorship Status
The club's controversial proprietor the Thai businessman 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 interested parties.
Failure to pay player wages on time in March and May resulted in restrictions being imposed by the football authorities in mid-year, stopping Wednesday from completing any recruitment activities for the following recruitment periods, although those limitations were removed in August.
Regulator's Perspective
Kogan said: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the Owls followers, teams facing challenges where people are committed to a community organization that has been part of their lives in numerous instances.
"I fully appreciate Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for every team that in modern times have encountered failure, or approached financial ruin, for factors unrelated to the fans themselves."
Questioned about whether the regulator could force an owner to sell a club if they are deemed unsuitable, the regulator answered: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we collect the information and comprehend the circumstances, we will."
But the regulator clarified that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the authority would rather to cooperate with proprietors.
"The final option we would consider is commence engagement with an particular organization, an individual owner, without being able to work with that owner to try and resolve the problems affecting the organization and the chairman's encountering," the regulator explained.
"But the truth is, when you review the record of the sport, over the last 20 or 30 years 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 decline to assume obligation for the coming years."
Owls fans have been demonstrating against the current proprietor 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 "progressive gathering" with a "high level of engagement" from the grassroots to elite level.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because should mistakes occur, if the world of football gets it wrong, the extraordinary progress that's been made might evaporate swiftly," Kogan said.
"And that's what nobody wants in the realm of domestic football is a huge success story - we need to continue the progress.
"Substantial financial resources coming into football and has been channeled for the recent generations, because there are no assurances it will continue to come into football, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to take a really clear view on risk and of course, of the immediate future."
Premier League Concerns
Elite division representatives objected to the creation of a regulator because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the elite division's competitive balance, but the chairman responded: "I fully support the prosperity and expansion as an economic entity of the top division.
"As someone who appreciates the worry about compromising the Premier League as a premium product of England. But simultaneously, 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 informing us confidentially they have a considerable comfort."
Ideological Links
Kogan is still facing a "full inquiry" by the official appointments authority after he disclosed making donations to the Labour Party in 2020.
The 68-year-old provided financial support for Culture Secretary the minister's leadership bid, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
"I've been completely open about my previous political affiliation [with Labour], and that ideological connection terminated the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the regulator explained.
"I am presently disconnected from any form of political activity."
