'We will play a key role in football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
The team's current difficulties constitute a "serious issue" and the independent regulator is aiming to acquire authority to examine team situations in comparable cases, the recently named head the regulator has announced.
In a wide-ranging interview, Kogan, who was appointed on Monday, expressed "sympathy" 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 failing to pay players on time on multiple instances, including in the autumn.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a significant problem for EFL and a significant problem for football," the regulator explained.
"Wednesday stands as one of the historic institutions for English football and in recent days we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.
"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will permit us to bring Wednesday and comparable cases referred to us if they require examination and addressed."
Monetary Issues and Ownership Situation
Wednesday's embattled owner Dejphon Chansiri stated during the off-season he would be open to selling the club at their home ground, but he has not been able to secure a deal with interested parties.
Delayed salary payments on time in spring months resulted in restrictions being imposed by the league officials in summer, stopping Wednesday from completing any player acquisitions for the following recruitment periods, although those limitations were removed in late summer.
Authority's Position
The chairman stated: "Our role exists to serve the supporters of Wednesday, teams facing challenges where fans are dedicated to a regional establishment that has been part of their lives in numerous instances.
"I completely understand Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for each organization that over recent decades have faced collapse, or nearly ceased operations, for factors unrelated to the fans themselves."
Inquired if the regulator could force an proprietor to divest a club if they are deemed unsuitable, the regulator answered: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the response would be once we collect the information and understand the situation, we will."
But Kogan stressed 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 begin intervening in an specific team, an particular chairman, without being in a position to cooperate with that chairman to fix the issues that the club's facing and the chairman's encountering," the regulator explained.
"In actuality, when you look back over the history of football, over the recent generations there have been some owners, not many, but particular people who have shown negligence in the approach they have taken toward their organizations and finally refuse to accept accountability for the future."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been protesting against owner Dejphon Chansiri in recent months
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
Kogan met with representatives from 110 clubs to lay out the remit of the regulator on Wednesday and maintained it represented a "proactive meeting" with a "substantial involvement" from the grassroots to elite level.
"This position carries substantial significance, because if we get it wrong, if the sport makes errors, the extraordinary progress that's been made might evaporate rapidly," Kogan said.
"And that's what nobody wants in the realm of domestic football is a huge success story - we must maintain momentum.
"Considerable investment flowing into the game and has come into football for the last 20 or 25 years, because certainty is lacking it will keep flowing into the sport, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on potential dangers and naturally, of the immediate future."
Elite Division Worries
Top flight officials resisted the creation of a regulator because of fears of a negative impact on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the chairman responded: "I'm absolutely committed to the achievement and development as an commercial operation of the top division.
"I of all people understand the worry about compromising the division as a high-quality offering of the nation. But at the same time, if you consult with top flight officials after the recent gathering, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, indeed, they have been informing us confidentially they have a high level of reassurance."
Partisan Associations
The chairman continues to confront a "comprehensive investigation" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he acknowledged providing funds to the opposition group in the past.
The 68-year-old donated money to government minister the politician's campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I've been completely open about my past party membership [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the official body endorsed my nomination," Kogan said.
"I am no longer involved in any type of partisan engagement."
