'Our role is integral to football's future' - football oversight chief the regulator's chair
The Championship club's ongoing struggles represent a a "serious issue" and the football regulator is seeking powers to examine team situations in comparable cases, its new chair David Kogan has declared.
In a wide-ranging interview, the chairman, who was named to the position this week, voiced concern towards supporters of the Owls.
Kogan met with four supporter groups representing the football team in recent days.
The Championship side have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club missing wage payments on five separate occasions, including in the autumn.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a significant problem for EFL and a major challenge for the sport," the chairman stated.
"The club represents one of the great brands for the English game and this week we have met supporters' organizations.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will allow us to have Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs referred to us if they require examination and addressed."
Financial Struggles and Proprietorship Status
The team's struggling chairman Dejphon Chansiri indicated in the summer he would be open to selling the club at Hillsborough, but he has failed to complete a sale with potential new owners.
Failure to pay player wages on time in March and May caused limitations by the football authorities in summer, stopping Wednesday from completing any transfers or loans for the subsequent signing windows, although that restriction was lifted in August.
Regulator's Perspective
Kogan said: "The position was created for the supporters of Wednesday, other clubs in similar situations where fans are dedicated to a local institution that has been part of their lives in numerous instances.
"I have absolute sympathy for the team's plight, 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 followers."
When asked if the oversight body could require an proprietor to divest a club if they are considered unfit, Kogan said: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we gather the evidence and understand the situation, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that forcing owners to sell clubs would be treated as a "last resort" 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 having the opportunity to collaborate with that owner to try and resolve the challenges confronting the team and the owner's facing," the chairman stated.
"In actuality, when you review the record of the sport, over the recent generations there have been certain proprietors, not many, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the manner they have operated their clubs and ultimately don't wish to take responsibility for the coming years."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been protesting against the current proprietor this season
'Errors may undo substantial development'
The regulator engaged officials from numerous teams to explain the responsibilities of the authority recently and insisted it was a "progressive gathering" with a "substantial involvement" from the grassroots to elite level.
"This position carries substantial significance, because should mistakes occur, if the football community fails, the significant advances achieved could disappear swiftly," the regulator warned.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the context of the English game is a substantial accomplishment - we need to continue the progress.
"Substantial financial resources entering the sport and has been invested for the past two decades, because there's no guarantee 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
The Premier League opposed the creation of a regulator because of concerns about detrimental effects on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the chairman responded: "I'm absolutely committed to the prosperity and expansion as an economic entity of the elite league.
"I of all people understand the worry about compromising the division as a high-quality offering of England. But at the same time, if you consult with top flight officials after the recent gathering, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, indeed, they have been informing us confidentially they have a high level of reassurance."
Ideological Links
Kogan is still facing a "comprehensive investigation" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he acknowledged providing funds to the opposition group in 2020.
The chairman contributed funds to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
"I have been entirely transparent regarding my past party membership [with Labour], and that ideological connection terminated the day the parliamentary committee confirmed my selection," the regulator explained.
"I am presently disconnected from any sort of politics."
