'Our role is integral to football's future' - football oversight chief the regulator's chair
Sheffield Wednesday's ongoing struggles constitute a "significant problem" and the new football authority is aiming to acquire authority to investigate clubs in similar circumstances, the recently named head the regulator has stated.
In a wide-ranging interview, the regulator, who was appointed on Monday, voiced concern towards supporters of the Owls.
Kogan met with four supporter groups connected to the South Yorkshire club this week.
The Championship side have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club delaying salary disbursements on five separate occasions, including in September.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a major concern for the league and a major challenge for the sport," the chairman stated.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the historic institutions for English football and in recent days we have met supporters' organizations.
"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will allow us to have Wednesday and comparable cases brought to our attention if they need to be investigated and dealt with."
Monetary Issues and Leadership Concerns
Wednesday's embattled owner the current owner indicated in the summer he would be willing to sell up at the stadium, but he has been unable to finalize an agreement with potential new owners.
Missed wage deadlines on time in March and May caused limitations by the English Football League (EFL) in summer, preventing the club from carrying out any recruitment activities for the subsequent signing windows, although those limitations were removed in late summer.
Regulator's Perspective
The chairman stated: "The position was created for the supporters of Wednesday, other clubs in similar situations where people are committed to a local institution that has existed throughout their lifetimes in many cases.
"I completely understand the team's plight, as I do for every team that in modern times have encountered failure, or been close to going to the wall, for reasons that have nothing to do with the supporters."
Inquired if the authority might compel an proprietor to divest a club if they are deemed unsuitable, Kogan said: "Should the inquiry concern 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we assemble the facts and understand the situation, we will."
But Kogan stressed that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be considered the final option and the regulator would prefer to cooperate with proprietors.
"The final option we would consider is commence engagement with an individual club, an individual owner, without being in a position to cooperate with that owner to try and resolve the challenges confronting the team and the proprietor's dealing with," Kogan said.
"In actuality, 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 manner they have operated their organizations and finally don't wish to take responsibility for the long-term prospects."
Wednesday followers have been demonstrating against owner Dejphon Chansiri during the current campaign
'Errors may undo substantial development'
Kogan met with representatives from 110 clubs to lay out the remit of the oversight body this week and maintained it represented a "progressive gathering" with a "significant participation" from the grassroots to elite level.
"This position carries substantial significance, because if errors are made, if the football community fails, the significant advances achieved could disappear rapidly," the regulator warned.
"Such an outcome is universally undesirable in the context of the English game is a substantial accomplishment - we've got to keep it going.
"There's an enormous amount of money coming into football and has been invested for the past two decades, because certainty is lacking it will continue to come into football, which is part of the rationale behind I think we have to take a really clear view on potential dangers and naturally, of the next two or three years."
Top Flight Apprehensions
Top flight officials resisted the establishment of an oversight body because of fears of a negative impact on the elite division's competitive balance, but Kogan said: "I completely endorse the prosperity and expansion as an commercial operation of the elite league.
"As someone who appreciates the concern of undermining the Premier League as a premium product of the nation. But at the same time, if you engage with division representatives after the recent gathering, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, in fact, they have been informing us confidentially they have a considerable comfort."
Partisan Associations
Kogan is still facing a "comprehensive investigation" by the official appointments authority after he disclosed making donations to the Labour Party in the past.
The chairman donated money to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the government leader.
"I have fully disclosed my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that ideological connection terminated the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the regulator explained.
"I currently have no participation in any type of partisan engagement."
