'We will play a key role in football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
The Championship club's ongoing struggles represent a a "major concern" and the new football authority is seeking powers to investigate clubs in similar circumstances, the recently named head David Kogan has stated.
In a wide-ranging interview, Kogan, who was named to the position this week, voiced concern towards Wednesday's fanbase.
Kogan met with four supporters' associations representing the football team in recent days.
The Championship side have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, 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 significant problem for football," the regulator explained.
"The club represents one of the great brands for the English game and recently we have met fan representatives.
"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will allow us to have the club and similar situations referred to us if they need to be investigated and acted upon."
Monetary Issues and Ownership Situation
The club's controversial proprietor the current owner suggested earlier this year he would be prepared to relinquish control at their home ground, but he has not been able to secure a deal with prospective buyers.
Missed wage deadlines on time in spring months led to sanctions by the league officials in mid-year, preventing the club from carrying out any recruitment activities for the following recruitment periods, although that restriction was lifted in August.
Authority's Position
The chairman stated: "The position was created for the Owls followers, teams facing challenges where supporters are loyal to a local institution that has been part of their lives in many cases.
"I completely understand the team's plight, as I do for every team that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or nearly ceased operations, for causes separate from the followers."
Questioned about whether the oversight body could require an proprietor to divest a club if they are considered unfit, Kogan said: "Should the inquiry concern '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 oversight body would choose to cooperate with proprietors.
"Our least desirable course of action is commence engagement with an particular organization, an particular chairman, without having the opportunity to collaborate with that chairman to fix the issues that the club's facing and the proprietor's dealing with," Kogan said.
"In actuality, when you look back over the history of football, over the recent generations there have been some owners, not many, but particular people who have shown negligence in the manner they have operated their clubs and ultimately don't wish to take responsibility for the future."
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 detail the scope of the oversight body this week and insisted it was a "proactive meeting" with a "substantial involvement" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because should mistakes occur, if the world of football gets it wrong, the extraordinary progress that's been made necessary will vanish incredibly quickly," Kogan said.
"And that's what nobody wants in the context of the English game is a substantial accomplishment - we've got to keep it going.
"There's an enormous amount of money coming into football and has been invested for the last 20 or 25 years, because there are no assurances it will keep flowing into the sport, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to adopt a precise perspective on risk and of course, of the next two or three years."
Elite Division Worries
Top flight officials resisted the creation of a regulator because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the Premier League's sporting equality, but Kogan said: "I fully support the success and growth as an economic entity of the elite league.
"I of all people understand the concern of undermining the top flight as an elite competition of England. But simultaneously, if you consult with top flight officials after today's meeting, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, actually, they have been informing us confidentially they have a significant confidence."
Ideological Links
Kogan is still facing a "comprehensive investigation" by the public appointments commissioner after he acknowledged providing funds to the political party in 2020.
The chairman contributed funds to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the government leader.
"I have fully disclosed my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the regulator explained.
"I currently have no participation in any type of partisan engagement."
