'We are going to be a part of football's future' - independent football regulator David Kogan
The Championship club's current difficulties are seen as a "major concern" and the football regulator is aiming to acquire authority to investigate clubs in comparable cases, its new chair David Kogan has declared.
In a wide-ranging interview, Kogan, who was appointed on Monday, voiced concern towards Wednesday's fanbase.
The chairman convened with four supporter groups representing the Championship side recently.
The Championship side have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in the current year, with the club failing to pay players on time on five separate occasions, including in the autumn.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a significant problem for EFL and a significant problem for football," the chairman stated.
"Wednesday stands as one of the iconic names for the English game and this week we have met supporters' organizations.
"We are seeking authority... which will enable us to take Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs referred to us if they need to be investigated and dealt with."
Financial Struggles and Leadership Concerns
The club's controversial proprietor the current owner stated during the off-season he would be open to selling the club at their home ground, but he has not been able to secure a deal with potential new owners.
Delayed salary payments on time in spring months resulted in restrictions being imposed by the league officials in summer, preventing the club from carrying out any player acquisitions for the subsequent signing windows, although the ban was rescinded in late summer.
Authority's Position
The chairman stated: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the supporters of Wednesday, other clubs in similar situations where supporters are loyal to a local institution that has represented their community in multiple situations.
"I have absolute sympathy for Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for each organization that in modern times have encountered failure, or been close to going to the wall, for causes separate from the fans themselves."
Questioned about whether the regulator could force an chairman to relinquish a club if they are deemed unsuitable, the chairman responded: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the response would be once we collect the information and know what's going on, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the regulator would prefer to collaborate with owners.
"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 owner to try and resolve the issues that the club's facing and the owner's facing," Kogan said.
"In actuality, when you review the record of the game, over the past few decades there have been certain proprietors, a small minority, but particular people who have shown negligence in the manner they have operated their clubs and ultimately refuse to accept accountability for the coming years."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been voicing opposition to the current proprietor in recent months
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
Kogan met with delegates from multiple organizations to lay out the remit of the oversight body this week and insisted it was a "proactive meeting" with a "high level of engagement" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because should mistakes occur, if the football community fails, the extraordinary progress that's been made might evaporate incredibly quickly," the chairman stated.
"And that's what nobody wants in the terms of English football is a huge success story - we must maintain momentum.
"Substantial financial resources flowing into the game and has been channeled for the last 20 or 25 years, because there are no assurances it will continue to come into football, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to take a really clear view on risk and of course, of the next two or three years."
Premier League Concerns
The Premier League opposed the formation of an authority because of concerns about detrimental effects on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the regulator stated: "I fully support the success and growth as an financial organization of the top division.
"As someone who appreciates the concern of undermining the division as a high-quality offering of the nation. But at the same time, if you engage with division representatives after this week's discussion, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, in fact, they have been advising us privately they have a high level of reassurance."
Ideological Links
The regulator remains subject to a "full inquiry" by the public appointments commissioner after he acknowledged providing funds to the opposition group in recent years.
The 68-year-old contributed funds to government minister Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the government leader.
"I've been completely open about my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the parliamentary committee confirmed my selection," the chairman stated.
"I currently have no participation in any sort of politics."
