'Our role is integral to football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
The Championship club's current difficulties are seen as a "major concern" and the football regulator is seeking powers to examine team situations in such situations, the newly appointed chairman the regulator has stated.
During an extensive discussion, the regulator, who was appointed on Monday, showed understanding towards supporters of the Owls.
The regulator engaged with four supporter groups representing the South Yorkshire club recently.
The football club have been struggling on and off the field in the current year, with the club missing wage payments on multiple instances, including in the autumn.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a major concern for the league and a substantial concern for English football," Kogan told.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the great brands for English football and this week we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.
"We are seeking authority... which will allow us to have the club and similar situations brought to our attention if they require examination and dealt with."
Monetary Issues and Ownership Situation
The team's struggling chairman the Thai businessman indicated in the summer he would be willing to sell up at Hillsborough, but he has failed to complete a sale with prospective buyers.
Missed wage deadlines on time in earlier this year resulted in restrictions being imposed 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 the end of the transfer window.
Official's Viewpoint
Kogan said: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, Bury or any football club where fans are dedicated to a community organization that has existed throughout their lifetimes in many cases.
"I completely understand the club's situation, as I do for every team that over recent decades have faced collapse, or approached financial ruin, for causes separate from the fans themselves."
When asked if the authority might compel an proprietor to divest a club if they are judged inappropriate, Kogan said: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we assemble the facts and comprehend the circumstances, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that forcing owners to sell clubs would be considered the final option and the oversight body would choose to collaborate with owners.
"The last thing what we want to do is commence engagement with an specific team, an individual owner, without being in a position to cooperate with that chairman to fix the challenges confronting the team and the owner's facing," the chairman stated.
"However, realistically, when you look back over the history of the sport, over the recent generations there have been some owners, a small minority, 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 coming years."
Wednesday followers have been protesting against the team's chairman in recent months
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
Kogan met with delegates from multiple organizations to explain the responsibilities of the oversight body this week and maintained it represented a "proactive meeting" with a "substantial involvement" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"The role holds considerable importance, because if errors are made, if the sport makes errors, the significant advances achieved necessary will vanish swiftly," Kogan said.
"Such an outcome is universally undesirable in the context of the English game is a major achievement - we must maintain momentum.
"Considerable investment entering the sport and has been channeled for the past two decades, because there are no assurances it will continue to come into football, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to adopt a precise perspective on potential dangers and naturally, of the immediate future."
Premier League Concerns
Top flight officials resisted the creation of a regulator because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the top-flight's competitiveness, but Kogan said: "I completely endorse the prosperity and expansion as an commercial operation of the top division.
"Being fully aware of the apprehension regarding damaging the division as a high-quality offering of this country. But concurrently, if you talk to the Premier League after this week's discussion, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, indeed, they have been advising us privately they have a significant confidence."
Political Connections
Kogan is still facing a "full inquiry" by the official appointments authority after he disclosed making donations to the Labour Party in recent years.
The official contributed funds to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport the politician's campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have been entirely transparent regarding my previous political affiliation [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the regulator explained.
"I currently have no participation in any form of political activity."
