'We will play a key role in football's future' - independent football regulator the regulator's chair
The team's persistent issues represent a a "significant problem" and the football regulator is seeking powers to look into club affairs in such situations, its new chair the official has declared.
During an extensive discussion, Kogan, who was named to the position this week, expressed "sympathy" towards Wednesday's fanbase.
The regulator engaged with four supporters' associations representing the South Yorkshire club in recent days.
The Championship side have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in 2025, with the club delaying salary disbursements on five separate occasions, including in last month.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a serious issue for football authorities and a major challenge for the sport," Kogan told.
"The club represents one of the great brands for the English game and this week we have met fan representatives.
"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will allow us to have Wednesday and comparable cases submitted for our review if they need to be investigated and dealt with."
Monetary Issues and Ownership Situation
The club's controversial proprietor Dejphon Chansiri indicated in the summer he would be prepared to relinquish control at Hillsborough, but he has not been able to secure a deal with potential new owners.
Missed wage deadlines on time in March and May resulted in restrictions being imposed by the football authorities in mid-year, preventing the club from carrying out any transfers or loans for the following recruitment periods, although those limitations were removed in the end of the transfer window.
Authority's Position
Kogan said: "Our role exists to serve 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 many cases.
"I fully appreciate the team's plight, as I do for every team that over recent decades have faced collapse, or approached financial ruin, for causes separate from the fans themselves."
Questioned about whether the regulator could force an chairman to relinquish a club if they are deemed unsuitable, Kogan said: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we assemble the facts and understand the situation, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the regulator would prefer to cooperate with proprietors.
"The last thing what we want to do is start getting involved with an particular organization, an individual owner, without being able to work with that proprietor to address the issues that the club's facing and the chairman's encountering," the chairman stated.
"In actuality, when you review the record of the sport, over the recent generations there have been some owners, not many, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the way which they've been managing their clubs and ultimately refuse to accept accountability for the future."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been voicing opposition to owner Dejphon Chansiri in recent months
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
Kogan met with representatives from 110 clubs to detail the scope of the regulator on Wednesday and stated it constituted a "proactive meeting" with a "substantial involvement" from the National League to the Premier League.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because should mistakes occur, if the sport makes errors, the remarkable development accomplished necessary will vanish swiftly," the chairman stated.
"Such an outcome is universally undesirable in the context of the English game is a huge success story - we need to continue the progress.
"There's an enormous amount of money flowing into the game and has been channeled for the past two decades, because certainty is lacking it will persist in entering the game, which is part of the rationale behind I think we have to take a really clear view on potential dangers and naturally, of the coming seasons."
Premier League Concerns
Elite division representatives objected to the creation of a regulator because of concerns about detrimental effects on the Premier League's sporting equality, but Kogan said: "I completely endorse the prosperity and expansion as an economic entity of the elite league.
"Being fully aware of the worry about compromising the top flight as an elite competition of this country. But simultaneously, if you consult with top flight officials after the recent gathering, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, indeed, they have been telling us in private they have a high level of reassurance."
Ideological Links
The chairman continues to confront a "full inquiry" by the official appointments authority after he revealed he contributed money to the opposition group in recent years.
The official provided financial support for government minister Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have fully disclosed my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the select committee approved my appointment," Kogan said.
"I am no longer involved in any sort of politics."
