🔗 Share this article

Sheffield Wednesday's persistent issues are seen as a "significant problem" and the football regulator is seeking powers to look into club affairs in comparable cases, the recently named head David Kogan has declared.

In a wide-ranging interview, the chairman, who was recently selected, voiced concern towards Wednesday's fanbase.

Kogan met with four fan organizations representing the football team recently.

The football club have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in 2025, with the club delaying salary disbursements on multiple instances, including in the autumn.

"Obviously the club has become a significant problem for EFL and a major challenge for the sport," the regulator explained.

"Wednesday stands as one of the iconic names for football in England and in recent days we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.

"We're now looking to get powers... which will permit us to bring Wednesday and comparable cases referred to us if they warrant scrutiny and dealt with."

Financial Struggles and Proprietorship Status

Wednesday's embattled owner the Thai businessman suggested earlier this year he would be prepared to relinquish control at their home ground, but he has been unable to finalize an agreement with potential new owners.

Failure to pay player wages on time in March and May resulted in restrictions being imposed by the football authorities in June, blocking the team from conducting any recruitment activities for the following recruitment periods, although those limitations were removed in the end of the transfer window.

Regulator's Perspective

The chairman stated: "Our role exists to serve the supporters of Wednesday, other clubs in similar situations where supporters are loyal to a regional establishment that has represented their community in many cases.

"I completely understand the team's plight, as I do for all the clubs that in modern times have encountered failure, or approached financial ruin, for reasons that have nothing to do with the fans themselves."

Inquired if the regulator could force an owner to sell a club if they are considered unfit, the regulator answered: "Should the inquiry concern 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the response would be once we assemble the facts and comprehend the circumstances, we will."

But the regulator clarified that forcing owners to sell clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the oversight body would choose to work with them.

"Our least desirable course of action is commence engagement with an individual club, an specific proprietor, without being in a position to cooperate with that chairman to fix the problems affecting the organization and the chairman's encountering," the regulator explained.

"However, realistically, when you review the record of the game, over the recent generations there have been some owners, few in number, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the manner they have operated their organizations and finally refuse to accept accountability for the long-term prospects."

'Mistakes could erase significant advances'

The regulator engaged representatives from 110 clubs to explain the responsibilities of the authority recently and maintained it represented a "proactive meeting" with a "substantial involvement" from the grassroots to elite level.

"The role holds considerable importance, because if errors are made, if the world of football gets it wrong, the remarkable development accomplished could disappear incredibly quickly," the chairman stated.

"And that's what nobody wants in the realm of domestic football is a major achievement - we need to continue the progress.

"There's an enormous amount of money entering the sport and has been channeled for the past two decades, 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 challenges and obviously, of the immediate future."

Premier League Concerns

The Premier League opposed the creation of a regulator because of concerns about detrimental effects on the elite division's competitive balance, but Kogan said: "I completely endorse the prosperity and expansion as an commercial operation of the elite league.

"Being fully aware of the apprehension regarding damaging the division as a high-quality offering of this country. But simultaneously, if you engage with division representatives after this week's discussion, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, in fact, they have been informing us confidentially they have a significant confidence."

Ideological Links

The regulator remains subject to a "full inquiry" by the official appointments authority after he revealed he contributed money to the Labour Party in the past.

The official donated money to Culture Secretary the politician's campaign, along with that of the government leader.

"I've been completely open about my previous political affiliation [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the chairman stated.

"I currently have no participation in any sort of politics."