'We are going to be a part of football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
The Championship club's current difficulties constitute a "significant problem" and the football regulator is seeking powers to examine team situations in comparable cases, the newly appointed chairman David Kogan has declared.
During an extensive discussion, Kogan, who was appointed on Monday, voiced concern towards the club's followers.
Kogan met with four fan organizations connected to the Championship side this week.
The team have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in 2025, with the club delaying salary disbursements on five separate occasions, including in last month.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a major concern for the league and a significant problem for football," the regulator explained.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the iconic names for the English game and in recent days we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will allow us to have Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs submitted for our review if they need to be investigated and dealt with."
Financial Struggles and Leadership Concerns
The team's struggling chairman the Thai businessman suggested earlier this year he would be open to selling the club at the stadium, but he has failed to complete a sale with prospective buyers.
Missed wage deadlines on time in March and May led to sanctions by the league officials in mid-year, preventing the club from carrying out any transfers or loans for the next three transfer windows, although the ban was rescinded in August.
Regulator's Perspective
Kogan said: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the supporters of Wednesday, teams facing challenges where fans are dedicated to a community organization that has been part of their lives in numerous instances.
"I have absolute sympathy for the club's situation, as I do for each organization that over recent decades have faced collapse, or approached financial ruin, for reasons that have nothing to do with the followers."
Questioned about whether the oversight body could require an chairman to relinquish a club if they are judged inappropriate, Kogan said: "Should the inquiry concern 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we assemble the facts and comprehend the circumstances, we will."
But the regulator clarified that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be considered the final option and the oversight body would choose to collaborate with owners.
"Our least desirable course of action is begin intervening in an specific team, an particular chairman, without having the opportunity to collaborate with that owner to try and resolve the problems affecting the organization and the owner's facing," Kogan said.
"However, realistically, when you look back over the history of the sport, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been certain proprietors, not many, but particular people who have shown negligence in the manner they have operated their teams and eventually don't wish to take responsibility for the future."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been voicing opposition to owner Dejphon Chansiri this season
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
Kogan met with officials from numerous teams to lay out the remit of the regulator on Wednesday and maintained it represented a "forward-thinking discussion" with a "high level of engagement" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because if errors are made, if the sport makes errors, the remarkable development accomplished might evaporate incredibly quickly," the regulator warned.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the terms of English football is a major achievement - we need to continue the progress.
"There's an enormous amount of money coming into football and has been invested for the last 20 or 25 years, because there's no guarantee it will persist in entering the game, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to adopt a precise perspective on challenges and obviously, of the next two or three years."
Elite Division Worries
The Premier League opposed the creation of a regulator because of concerns about detrimental effects on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the regulator stated: "I fully support the success and growth as an economic entity of the top division.
"As someone who appreciates the worry about compromising the Premier League as a premium product of England. But simultaneously, if you engage with division representatives after today's meeting, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, actually, they have been informing us confidentially they have a significant confidence."
Political Connections
The chairman continues to confront a "comprehensive investigation" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he acknowledged providing funds to the opposition group in recent years.
The 68-year-old provided financial support for Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have been entirely transparent regarding my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the regulator explained.
"I currently have no participation in any type of partisan engagement."
