'Our role is integral to football's future' - independent football regulator the regulator's chair
Sheffield Wednesday's persistent issues constitute a "serious issue" 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 regulator, who was named to the position this week, showed understanding towards the club's followers.
The chairman convened with four supporters' associations representing the Championship side this week.
The football club have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in the current year, with the club missing wage payments on five separate occasions, including in last month.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a serious issue for football authorities and a significant problem for football," the chairman stated.
"The club represents one of the historic institutions for the English game and recently we have met fan representatives.
"We are seeking authority... which will permit us to bring Wednesday and comparable cases referred to us if they require examination and dealt with."
Financial Struggles and Leadership Concerns
The club's controversial proprietor the current owner suggested earlier this year he would be open to selling the club at their home ground, but he has failed to complete a sale with prospective buyers.
Failure to pay player wages on time in earlier this year caused limitations by the football authorities in mid-year, stopping Wednesday from completing any recruitment activities for the next three transfer windows, although those limitations were removed in the end of the transfer window.
Regulator's Perspective
The chairman stated: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, teams facing challenges where supporters are loyal to a regional establishment that has represented their community in many cases.
"I have absolute sympathy for Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for each organization that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or approached financial ruin, for factors unrelated to the followers."
When asked if the regulator could force an proprietor to divest a club if they are deemed unsuitable, Kogan said: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we gather the evidence and comprehend the circumstances, we will."
But the regulator clarified that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the authority would rather to collaborate with owners.
"The final option we would consider is start getting involved with an individual club, an specific proprietor, without being in a position to cooperate with that owner to try and resolve the challenges confronting the team and the chairman's encountering," Kogan said.
"However, realistically, when you look back over the history of the sport, over the recent generations there have been certain proprietors, not many, but particular people who have shown negligence in the approach they have taken toward their teams and eventually refuse to accept accountability for the coming years."
Owls fans have been protesting against owner Dejphon Chansiri during the current campaign
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
The chairman convened with delegates from multiple organizations to lay out the remit of the regulator on Wednesday and maintained it represented a "progressive gathering" with a "high level of engagement" from the grassroots to elite level.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because should mistakes occur, if the football community fails, the significant advances achieved might evaporate rapidly," Kogan said.
"Such an outcome is universally undesirable in the realm of domestic football is a major achievement - we've got to keep it going.
"Substantial financial resources coming into football and has been invested for the last 20 or 25 years, because there's no guarantee it will keep flowing into the sport, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on challenges and obviously, of the coming seasons."
Elite Division Worries
Top flight officials resisted the establishment of an oversight body because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the Premier League's sporting equality, but Kogan said: "I fully support the achievement and development as an commercial operation of the Premier League.
"Being fully aware of the concern of undermining the Premier League as a premium product of this country. But simultaneously, if you engage with division representatives after today's meeting, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, actually, they have been advising us privately they have a high level of reassurance."
Partisan Associations
Kogan is still facing a "full inquiry" by the public appointments commissioner after he disclosed making donations to the opposition group in recent years.
The 68-year-old donated money to Culture Secretary the minister's leadership bid, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have fully disclosed my previous political affiliation [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the regulator explained.
"I am presently disconnected from any sort of politics."
