🔗 Share this article Sheff Wed Faces Major Issues, States Independent Regulator 'We will play a key role in football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman Sheffield Wednesday's ongoing struggles are seen as a "significant problem" and the new football authority is seeking powers to examine team situations in such situations, the newly appointed chairman David Kogan has stated. In a wide-ranging interview, Kogan, who was named to the position this week, voiced concern towards Wednesday's fanbase. The chairman convened with four fan organizations representing the football team recently. The football club have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in 2025, with the club missing wage payments on several different times, including in the autumn. "Evidently Wednesday represents a significant problem for EFL and a significant problem for football," the chairman stated. "Sheffield Wednesday is one of the great brands for football in England and in recent days we have met fan representatives. "Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will permit us to bring the club and similar situations brought to our attention if they need to be investigated and dealt with." Financial Struggles and Proprietorship Status The club's controversial proprietor the current owner suggested earlier this year he would be prepared to relinquish control at Hillsborough, but he has been unable to finalize an agreement with interested parties. Failure to pay player wages on time in earlier this year caused limitations by the league officials in mid-year, stopping Wednesday from completing any recruitment activities for the following recruitment periods, although those limitations were removed in late summer. Regulator's Perspective Kogan said: "The position was created for the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, other clubs in similar situations where supporters are loyal to a regional establishment that has been part of their lives in multiple situations. "I fully appreciate the club's situation, as I do for all the clubs that over recent decades have faced collapse, or approached financial ruin, for causes separate from the supporters." Inquired if the oversight body could require an proprietor to divest a club if they are judged inappropriate, the regulator answered: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we collect the information and understand the situation, we will." But Kogan stressed that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the authority would rather to cooperate with proprietors. "Our least desirable course of action is commence engagement with an specific team, an specific proprietor, without having the opportunity to collaborate with that proprietor to address the challenges confronting the team and the proprietor's dealing with," Kogan said. "However, realistically, when you review the record of the game, over the recent generations there have been some owners, few in number, but some who have been irresponsible in the way which they've been managing their clubs and ultimately refuse to accept accountability for the future." Owls fans have been protesting against owner Dejphon Chansiri during the current campaign 'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes' The chairman convened with officials from numerous teams to lay out the remit of the oversight body this week and insisted it was a "forward-thinking discussion" with a "high level of engagement" from the National League to the Premier League. "This position carries substantial significance, because if we get it wrong, if the world of football gets it wrong, the remarkable development accomplished might evaporate rapidly," the chairman stated. "Such an outcome is universally undesirable in the terms of English football is a huge success story - we've got to keep it going. "Considerable investment coming into football and has come into football for the last 20 or 25 years, because certainty is lacking 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 coming seasons." Top Flight Apprehensions Elite division representatives objected to the establishment of an oversight body because of concerns about detrimental effects on the top-flight's competitiveness, but Kogan said: "I completely endorse the success and growth as an commercial operation of the top division. "As someone who appreciates the worry about compromising the division as a high-quality offering of the nation. But concurrently, if you engage with division representatives after this week's discussion, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, indeed, they have been informing us confidentially they have a considerable comfort." Political Connections Kogan is still facing a "thorough examination" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he disclosed making donations to the opposition group in 2020. The 68-year-old contributed funds to government minister Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. "I've been completely open about my past party membership [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the parliamentary committee confirmed my selection," the chairman stated. "I am presently disconnected from any type of partisan engagement."