'We are going to be a part of football's future' - independent football regulator David Kogan
The team's ongoing struggles represent a a "significant problem" and the new football authority is looking to gain the ability to investigate clubs in comparable cases, its new chair the regulator has declared.
Through a comprehensive talk, the regulator, who was named to the position this week, showed understanding towards supporters of the Owls.
Kogan met with four supporter groups associated with the South Yorkshire club in recent days.
The football club have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in 2025, with the club delaying salary disbursements on multiple instances, including in the autumn.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a serious issue for football authorities and a major challenge for the sport," Kogan told.
"Wednesday stands as one of the iconic names for English football and this week we have met supporters' organizations.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will permit us to bring Wednesday and comparable cases submitted for our review if they need to be investigated and acted upon."
Monetary Issues and Leadership Concerns
The team's struggling chairman Dejphon Chansiri suggested earlier this year he would be open to selling the club at their home ground, but he has not been able to secure a deal with prospective buyers.
Failure to pay player wages on time in March and May led to sanctions by the English Football League (EFL) in summer, stopping Wednesday from completing any player acquisitions for the following recruitment periods, although those limitations were removed in the end of the transfer window.
Authority's Position
The regulator explained: "Our role exists to serve the supporters of Wednesday, teams facing challenges where supporters are loyal to a regional establishment that has existed throughout their lifetimes in many cases.
"I fully appreciate the team's plight, as I do for each organization that over recent decades have faced collapse, or approached financial ruin, for causes separate from the fans themselves."
Inquired if the oversight body could require an owner to sell a club if they are deemed unsuitable, Kogan said: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we collect the information and comprehend the circumstances, we will."
But the regulator clarified that forcing owners to sell clubs would be considered the final option and the oversight body would choose to cooperate with proprietors.
"Our least desirable course of action is begin intervening in an specific team, 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," Kogan said.
"However, realistically, when you review the record of football, over the past few decades there have been certain proprietors, few in number, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the manner they have operated their clubs and ultimately refuse to accept accountability for the coming years."
Wednesday followers have been protesting against owner Dejphon Chansiri in recent months
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
The regulator engaged representatives from 110 clubs to detail the scope of the authority recently and insisted it was a "proactive meeting" with a "significant participation" from the National League to the Premier League.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because should mistakes occur, if the football community fails, the significant advances achieved necessary will vanish rapidly," the regulator warned.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the realm of domestic football is a substantial accomplishment - we must maintain momentum.
"Considerable investment flowing into the game and has been channeled 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 adopt a precise perspective on risk and of course, of the next two or three years."
Premier League Concerns
The Premier League opposed the creation of a regulator because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the chairman responded: "I'm absolutely committed to the success and growth as an commercial operation of the top division.
"Being fully aware of the concern of undermining the top flight as an elite competition of the nation. But concurrently, if you engage with division representatives after this week's discussion, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, in fact, they have been advising us privately they have a considerable comfort."
Partisan Associations
Kogan is still facing a "full inquiry" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he disclosed making donations to the opposition group in 2020.
The 68-year-old donated money to Culture Secretary the politician's campaign, along with that of the government leader.
"I have been entirely transparent regarding my previous political affiliation [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the select committee approved my appointment," the regulator explained.
"I currently have no participation in any type of partisan engagement."
