'We will play a key role in football's future' - newly appointed regulator the regulator's chair
The team's current difficulties represent a a "serious issue" and the new football authority is seeking powers to look into club affairs in similar circumstances, its new chair the official has stated.
During an extensive discussion, Kogan, who was named to the position this week, showed understanding towards Wednesday's fanbase.
The regulator engaged with four supporter groups representing the Championship side in recent days.
The Championship side have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in 2025, with the club missing wage payments on several different times, including in last month.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a serious issue for football authorities and a significant problem for football," the regulator explained.
"Wednesday stands as one of the iconic names for the English game and this week we have met supporters' organizations.
"We are seeking authority... which will allow us to have Wednesday and comparable cases submitted for our review if they need to be investigated and addressed."
Financial Struggles and Proprietorship Status
The club's controversial proprietor the current owner stated during the off-season he would be open to selling the club at the stadium, but he has been unable to finalize an agreement with prospective buyers.
Failure to pay player wages on time in earlier this year resulted in restrictions being imposed by the English Football League (EFL) in mid-year, blocking the team from conducting any recruitment activities for the next three transfer windows, although that restriction was lifted in late summer.
Authority's Position
The chairman stated: "The position was created for the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, other clubs in similar situations where supporters are loyal to a community organization that has existed throughout their lifetimes in numerous instances.
"I fully appreciate the club's situation, as I do for every team that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or nearly ceased operations, for reasons that have nothing to do with the fans themselves."
Inquired if the oversight body could require an proprietor to divest a club if they are judged inappropriate, the regulator answered: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the response would be once we collect the information and know what's going on, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that forcing owners to sell clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the regulator would prefer to work with them.
"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 issues that the club's facing and the proprietor's dealing with," the regulator explained.
"But the truth is, when you examine the past of the sport, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been particular chairmen, not many, but particular people who have shown negligence in the manner they have operated their teams and eventually decline to assume obligation for the long-term prospects."
Owls fans have been demonstrating against the current proprietor during the current campaign
'Errors may undo substantial development'
The chairman convened with delegates from multiple organizations to lay out the remit of the oversight body this week and maintained it represented a "forward-thinking discussion" with a "significant participation" from the grassroots to elite level.
"This position carries substantial significance, because if errors are made, if the sport makes errors, the significant advances achieved could disappear rapidly," Kogan said.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the terms of English football is a substantial accomplishment - we need to continue the progress.
"There's an enormous amount of money flowing into the game and has been invested for the recent generations, because there's no guarantee it will persist in entering the game, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on challenges and obviously, of the next two or three years."
Elite Division Worries
Top flight officials resisted the formation of an authority because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the chairman responded: "I completely endorse the prosperity and expansion as an economic entity of the elite league.
"Being fully aware of the apprehension regarding damaging the Premier League as a premium product of England. But at the same time, if you talk to the Premier League after today's meeting, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, actually, they have been informing us confidentially they have a significant confidence."
Ideological Links
The regulator remains subject to a "comprehensive investigation" by the official appointments authority after he revealed he contributed money to the political party in recent years.
The 68-year-old contributed funds to Culture Secretary the politician's campaign, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
"I've been completely open about my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that ideological connection terminated the day the select committee approved my appointment," Kogan said.
"I currently have no participation in any sort of politics."
