🔗 Share this article Sheffield Wednesday Faces Serious Challenges, Declares Independent Regulator 'We will play a key role in football's future' - football oversight chief the regulator's chair The team's persistent issues are seen as a "significant problem" and the independent regulator is aiming to acquire authority to investigate clubs in such situations, its new chair the regulator has stated. During an extensive discussion, the regulator, who was appointed on Monday, voiced concern towards the club's followers. Kogan met with four supporter groups associated with the Championship side this week. The football club have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in 2025, with the club delaying salary disbursements on five separate occasions, including in September. "Obviously the club has become a significant problem for EFL and a significant problem for football," Kogan told. "Wednesday stands as one of the iconic names for English football and in recent days we have met supporters' organizations. "We're now looking to get powers... which will enable us to take Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs referred to us if they warrant scrutiny and acted upon." Monetary Issues and Ownership Situation The club's controversial proprietor Dejphon Chansiri stated during the off-season he would be open to selling the club at the stadium, but he has not been able to secure a deal with prospective buyers. Failure to pay player wages on time in earlier this year led to sanctions by the football authorities in June, stopping Wednesday from completing any transfers or loans for the next three transfer windows, although the ban was rescinded in late summer. Authority's Position Kogan said: "Our role exists to serve the supporters of Wednesday, teams facing challenges where fans are dedicated to a regional establishment that has been part of their lives in multiple situations. "I fully appreciate the club's situation, as I do for each organization that in modern times have encountered failure, or nearly ceased operations, for reasons that have nothing to do with the followers." Questioned about whether the regulator could force an owner to sell a club if they are considered unfit, the regulator answered: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we gather the evidence and understand the situation, 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 begin intervening in an specific team, an individual owner, without being in a position to cooperate with that proprietor to address the problems affecting the organization and the chairman's encountering," the chairman stated. "However, realistically, when you review the record of the sport, over the past few decades there have been particular chairmen, a small minority, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the approach they have taken toward their teams and eventually refuse to accept accountability for the future." Wednesday followers have been voicing opposition to owner Dejphon Chansiri during the current campaign 'Mistakes could erase significant advances' Kogan met with officials from numerous teams to explain the responsibilities of the authority recently and maintained it represented a "proactive meeting" with a "significant participation" from the lower divisions to the top flight. "The role holds considerable importance, because should mistakes occur, if the football community fails, the extraordinary progress that's been made necessary will vanish incredibly quickly," the regulator warned. "And that's what nobody wants in the context of the English game is a huge success story - we need to continue the progress. "Considerable investment flowing into the game and has been channeled for the recent generations, because there's no guarantee it will persist in entering the game, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to take a really clear view on challenges and obviously, of the coming seasons." Elite Division Worries Top flight officials resisted the creation of a regulator because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the elite division's competitive balance, but the regulator stated: "I completely endorse the prosperity and expansion as an economic entity of the top division. "Being fully aware of the concern of undermining the division as a high-quality offering of the nation. But concurrently, if you talk to the Premier League after the recent gathering, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, actually, they have been advising us privately they have a significant confidence." Ideological Links The regulator remains subject to a "thorough examination" by the public appointments commissioner after he revealed he contributed money to the political party in the past. The chairman provided financial support for Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister. "I have been entirely transparent regarding my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that ideological connection terminated the day the official body endorsed my nomination," Kogan said. "I am no longer involved in any form of political activity."