'We are going to be a part of football's future' - newly appointed regulator the regulator's chair
Sheffield Wednesday's ongoing struggles represent a a "major concern" and the new football authority is seeking powers to look into club affairs in comparable cases, the recently named head the official has stated.
Through a comprehensive talk, Kogan, who was recently selected, expressed "sympathy" towards Wednesday's fanbase.
The chairman convened with four supporters' associations representing the Championship side in recent days.
The team have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club missing wage payments on multiple instances, including in September.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a significant problem for EFL and a major challenge for the sport," the chairman stated.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the iconic names for football in England and this week we have met fan representatives.
"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will allow us to have the club and similar situations submitted for our review if they warrant scrutiny and dealt with."
Economic Challenges and Leadership Concerns
Wednesday's embattled owner the Thai businessman stated during the off-season he would be willing to sell up 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 mid-year, blocking the team from conducting any player acquisitions for the following recruitment periods, although the ban was rescinded in August.
Regulator's Perspective
Kogan said: "Our role exists to serve the Owls followers, Bury or any football club where fans are dedicated to a community organization that has been part of their lives in numerous instances.
"I completely understand Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for every team that over recent decades have faced collapse, or been close to going to the wall, for causes separate from the supporters."
Questioned about whether the authority might compel an owner to sell a club if they are deemed unsuitable, Kogan said: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we assemble the facts and understand the situation, 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 collaborate with owners.
"Our least desirable course of action is commence engagement with an individual club, an particular chairman, without being in a position to cooperate with that chairman to fix the issues that the club's facing and the chairman's encountering," the chairman stated.
"In actuality, when you review the record of the game, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been some owners, few in number, but some who have been irresponsible in the approach they have taken toward their teams and eventually refuse to accept accountability for the coming years."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been voicing opposition to the team's chairman during the current campaign
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
The chairman convened with delegates from multiple organizations to lay out the remit of the authority recently and stated it constituted a "progressive gathering" with a "substantial involvement" from the grassroots to elite level.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because if we get it wrong, if the sport makes errors, the remarkable development accomplished might evaporate swiftly," Kogan said.
"And that's what nobody wants in the context of the English game is a major achievement - we've got to keep it going.
"There's an enormous amount of money coming into football and has come into football 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."
Elite Division Worries
Top flight officials resisted the establishment of an oversight body because of fears of a negative impact on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the regulator stated: "I fully support the achievement and development as an economic entity of the top division.
"As someone who appreciates the concern of undermining the top flight as an elite competition of England. But concurrently, if you engage with division representatives after today's meeting, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, in fact, they have been advising us privately they have a significant confidence."
Ideological Links
Kogan is still facing a "comprehensive investigation" by the public appointments commissioner after he revealed he contributed money to the opposition group in recent years.
The chairman donated money to government minister Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the government leader.
"I have fully disclosed my past party membership [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the parliamentary committee confirmed my selection," the regulator explained.
"I am presently disconnected from any type of partisan engagement."
