'We are going to be a part of football's future' - football oversight chief the new chairman
The Championship club's current difficulties are seen as a "major concern" and the new football authority is looking to gain the ability to investigate clubs in such situations, the newly appointed chairman the official has declared.
In a wide-ranging interview, the chairman, who was appointed on Monday, expressed "sympathy" towards the club's followers.
The chairman convened with four fan organizations connected to the Championship side this week.
The team have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in this season, with the club failing to pay players on time on several different times, including in last month.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a serious issue for football authorities and a substantial concern for English football," the chairman stated.
"Wednesday stands as one of the iconic names for football in England and in recent days we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.
"We are seeking authority... which will allow us to have Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs brought to our attention if they warrant scrutiny and addressed."
Monetary Issues and Ownership Situation
The club's controversial proprietor Dejphon Chansiri suggested earlier this year he would be open to selling the club at Hillsborough, but he has failed to complete a sale with interested parties.
Failure to pay player wages on time in spring months resulted in restrictions being imposed by the English Football League (EFL) in June, stopping Wednesday from completing any player acquisitions for the following recruitment periods, although those limitations were removed in the end of the transfer window.
Official's Viewpoint
The chairman stated: "The position was created for the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, other clubs in similar situations where supporters are loyal to a local institution that has represented their community in numerous instances.
"I have absolute sympathy for the team's plight, as I do for every team that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or been close to going to the wall, for reasons that have nothing to do with the followers."
Questioned about whether the regulator could force an proprietor to divest a club if they are considered unfit, the regulator answered: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we assemble the facts and know what's going on, we will."
But Kogan stressed that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the authority would rather to collaborate with owners.
"The last thing what we want to do is begin intervening in an particular organization, an individual owner, without being in a position to cooperate with that proprietor to address the issues that the club's facing and the owner's facing," the regulator explained.
"But the truth is, when you examine the past of the game, over the recent generations there have been certain proprietors, a small minority, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the approach they have taken toward their clubs and ultimately don't wish to take responsibility for the coming years."
Wednesday followers have been voicing opposition to the current proprietor during the current campaign
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
Kogan met with delegates from multiple organizations to detail the scope of the oversight body this week and stated it constituted a "progressive gathering" with a "substantial involvement" from the National League to the Premier League.
"This position carries substantial significance, because should mistakes occur, if the sport makes errors, the significant advances achieved could disappear incredibly quickly," Kogan said.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the context of the English game is a huge success story - we must maintain momentum.
"There's an enormous amount of money entering the sport and has been invested for the past two decades, because there's no guarantee it will keep flowing into the sport, which is part of the rationale behind I think we have to adopt a precise perspective on risk and of course, of the coming seasons."
Premier League Concerns
Elite division representatives objected to the formation of an authority because of concerns about detrimental effects on the top-flight's competitiveness, but Kogan said: "I completely endorse the achievement and development as an economic entity of the elite league.
"As someone who appreciates the worry about compromising the Premier League as a premium product of England. But at the same time, if you talk to the Premier League after today's meeting, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, indeed, they have been telling us in private they have a significant confidence."
Partisan Associations
The regulator remains subject to a "thorough examination" by the public appointments commissioner after he disclosed making donations to the opposition group in recent years.
The chairman donated money to Culture Secretary the politician's campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have fully disclosed my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the select committee approved my appointment," the regulator explained.
"I am presently disconnected from any type of partisan engagement."
