'Our role is integral to football's future' - independent football regulator David Kogan
The Championship club's ongoing struggles are seen as a "major concern" and the independent regulator is looking to gain the ability to examine team situations in comparable cases, the newly appointed chairman the official has declared.
In a wide-ranging interview, the regulator, who was named to the position this week, voiced concern towards the club's followers.
Kogan met with four supporter groups connected to the Championship side recently.
The team have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in this season, with the club failing to pay players on time on five separate occasions, including in last month.
"Obviously the club has become a major concern for the league and a significant problem for football," Kogan told.
"Wednesday stands as one of the historic institutions for the English game and this week we have met supporters' organizations.
"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will allow us to have Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs submitted for our review if they require examination and addressed."
Financial Struggles and Leadership Concerns
Wednesday's embattled owner the Thai businessman stated during the off-season he would be prepared to relinquish control at Hillsborough, 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 football authorities in June, stopping Wednesday from completing any recruitment activities for the next three transfer windows, although those limitations were removed in August.
Official's Viewpoint
The regulator explained: "The position was created for the supporters of Wednesday, teams facing challenges where people are committed to a community organization that has been part of their lives in many cases.
"I have absolute sympathy for Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for every team that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or been close to going to the wall, for causes separate from the fans themselves."
Questioned about whether the authority might compel an chairman to relinquish a club if they are considered unfit, Kogan said: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we assemble the facts and know what's going on, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that forcing owners to sell clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the authority would rather to collaborate with owners.
"Our least desirable course of action is commence engagement with an individual club, an particular chairman, without being in a position to cooperate with that proprietor to address the problems affecting the organization and the proprietor's dealing with," the chairman stated.
"But the truth is, when you examine the past of the game, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been some owners, few in number, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the way which they've been managing their clubs and ultimately refuse to accept accountability for the future."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been demonstrating against owner Dejphon Chansiri in recent months
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
Kogan met with officials from numerous teams to lay out the remit of the oversight body this week and insisted it was a "proactive meeting" with a "significant participation" from the grassroots to elite level.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because if we get it wrong, if the football community fails, the significant advances achieved might evaporate 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 come into football for the last 20 or 25 years, because there's no guarantee it will continue to come into football, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on challenges and obviously, of the immediate future."
Premier League Concerns
Elite division representatives objected to the establishment of an oversight body because of fears of a negative impact on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the regulator stated: "I completely endorse the prosperity and expansion as an financial organization of the elite league.
"I of all people understand the apprehension regarding damaging the top flight as an elite competition of England. But concurrently, if you engage with division representatives after today's meeting, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, indeed, they have been advising us privately they have a considerable comfort."
Ideological Links
The regulator remains subject to a "comprehensive investigation" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he revealed he contributed money to the Labour Party in the past.
The 68-year-old contributed funds to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I've been completely open about my past party membership [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the official body endorsed my nomination," Kogan said.
"I am presently disconnected from any type of partisan engagement."
