'We will play a key role in football's future' - newly appointed regulator the regulator's chair
The team's current difficulties represent a a "serious issue" and the football regulator is looking to gain the ability to investigate clubs in such situations, its new chair the official has declared.
In a wide-ranging interview, the regulator, who was named to the position this week, expressed "sympathy" towards Wednesday's fanbase.
The regulator engaged with four supporters' associations connected to the Championship side recently.
The team have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in this season, with the club delaying salary disbursements on five separate occasions, including in September.
"Obviously the club has become a serious issue for football authorities and a major challenge for the sport," Kogan told.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the great brands for English football and this week we have met fan representatives.
"We are seeking authority... which will enable us to take Wednesday and comparable cases submitted for our review if they need to be investigated and addressed."
Monetary Issues and Leadership Concerns
The team's struggling chairman Dejphon Chansiri indicated in the summer he would be open to selling the club at Hillsborough, but he has failed to complete a sale with prospective buyers.
Delayed salary payments on time in spring months led to sanctions by the football authorities in June, blocking the team from conducting any recruitment activities for the following recruitment periods, although that restriction was lifted in the end of the transfer window.
Authority's Position
Kogan said: "The position was created for the supporters of Wednesday, other clubs in similar situations where people are committed 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 each organization that in modern times have encountered failure, or nearly ceased operations, for reasons that have nothing to do with the fans themselves."
Inquired if the oversight body could require an owner to sell a club if they are judged inappropriate, the chairman responded: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we assemble the facts and know what's going on, we will."
But the regulator clarified that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the regulator would prefer to work with them.
"The last thing what we want to do is begin intervening in an particular organization, an specific proprietor, without being able to work with that owner to try and resolve the issues that the club's facing and the owner's facing," Kogan said.
"However, realistically, when you look back over the history of the game, over the recent generations there have been certain proprietors, few in number, but particular people who have shown negligence in the way which they've been managing their teams and eventually don't wish to take responsibility for the long-term prospects."
Wednesday followers have been demonstrating against the team's chairman during the current campaign
'Errors may undo substantial development'
The regulator engaged delegates from multiple organizations to explain the responsibilities of the regulator on Wednesday and maintained it represented a "progressive gathering" with a "significant participation" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"The role holds considerable importance, because if we get it wrong, if the football community fails, the remarkable development accomplished might evaporate swiftly," the chairman stated.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the context of the English game is a huge success story - we need to continue the progress.
"Considerable investment coming into football and has been channeled for the last 20 or 25 years, because there's no guarantee it will continue to come into football, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to take a really clear view on risk and of course, of the next two or three years."
Elite Division Worries
Elite division representatives objected to the establishment of an oversight body because of fears of a negative impact on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the regulator stated: "I completely endorse the prosperity and expansion as an economic entity of the elite league.
"As someone who appreciates the worry about compromising the division as a high-quality offering of England. But simultaneously, 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 informing us confidentially they have a significant confidence."
Ideological Links
Kogan is still facing a "thorough examination" by the official appointments authority after he acknowledged providing funds to the opposition group in recent years.
The 68-year-old contributed funds to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the government leader.
"I have been entirely transparent regarding my past party membership [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the regulator explained.
"I am no longer involved in any type of partisan engagement."
