'We are going to be a part of football's future' - football oversight chief the new chairman
Sheffield Wednesday's persistent issues represent a a "significant problem" and the new football authority is seeking powers to look into club affairs in similar circumstances, its new chair the official has announced.
During an extensive discussion, the regulator, who was named to the position this week, expressed "sympathy" towards supporters of the Owls.
Kogan met with four supporter groups associated with the Championship side this week.
The team have been struggling on and off the field in this season, with the club failing to pay players on time on several different times, including in September.
"Obviously the club has become a serious issue for football authorities and a substantial concern for English football," the regulator explained.
"Wednesday stands as one of the great brands for the English game and recently we have met supporters' organizations.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will permit us to bring the club and similar situations brought to our attention if they require examination and addressed."
Financial Struggles and Leadership Concerns
The team's struggling chairman the Thai businessman stated during the off-season he would be open to selling the club at the stadium, but he has failed to complete a sale with interested parties.
Missed wage deadlines on time in spring months resulted in restrictions being imposed by the league officials in mid-year, stopping Wednesday from completing any recruitment activities for the subsequent signing windows, although that restriction was lifted in late summer.
Authority's Position
The regulator explained: "Our role exists to serve the supporters of Wednesday, Bury or any football club where fans are dedicated to a community organization that has been part of their lives in multiple situations.
"I fully appreciate the club's situation, as I do for every team that in modern times have encountered failure, or been close to going to the wall, for reasons that have nothing to do with the fans themselves."
When asked 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 response would be once we assemble the facts and know what's going on, we will."
But Kogan stressed that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be considered the final option and the authority would rather to cooperate with proprietors.
"The last thing what we want to do is start getting involved with an specific team, an individual owner, without being able to work with that chairman to fix the issues that the club's facing and the owner's facing," the regulator explained.
"However, realistically, when you look back over the history of the sport, over the past few decades there have been particular chairmen, not many, but some who have been irresponsible in the manner they have operated their teams and eventually refuse to accept accountability for the future."
Owls fans have been demonstrating against the current proprietor this season
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
Kogan met with officials from numerous teams to explain the responsibilities of the regulator on Wednesday 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 we get it wrong, if the sport makes errors, the extraordinary progress that's been made could disappear rapidly," the regulator warned.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the terms of English football is a huge success story - we've got to keep it going.
"Considerable investment flowing into the game and has been channeled for the recent generations, because certainty is lacking 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."
Top Flight Apprehensions
Top flight officials resisted the creation of a regulator because of concerns about detrimental effects on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the regulator stated: "I'm absolutely committed to the prosperity and expansion as an economic entity of the elite league.
"As someone who appreciates the concern of undermining the top flight as an elite competition of this country. But concurrently, if you engage with division representatives after today's meeting, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, actually, they have been informing us confidentially they have a high level of reassurance."
Political Connections
The regulator remains subject to a "full inquiry" by the public appointments commissioner after he acknowledged providing funds to the opposition group in the past.
The 68-year-old donated money to government minister the politician's campaign, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
"I have been entirely transparent regarding my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that ideological connection terminated the day the select committee approved my appointment," the regulator explained.
"I am no longer involved in any form of political activity."
