'We will play a key role in football's future' - football oversight chief David Kogan
Sheffield Wednesday's ongoing struggles constitute a "serious issue" and the independent regulator is seeking powers to look into club affairs in comparable cases, the recently named head the official has declared.
During an extensive discussion, Kogan, who was appointed on Monday, expressed "sympathy" towards the club's followers.
The chairman convened with four fan organizations associated with the football team in recent days.
The Championship side have been struggling on and off the field in this season, 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.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the iconic names for football in England and in recent days we have met fan representatives.
"We are seeking authority... which will permit us to bring Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs submitted for our review if they warrant scrutiny and acted upon."
Financial Struggles and Proprietorship Status
Wednesday's embattled owner Dejphon Chansiri 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.
Failure to pay player wages on time in spring months caused limitations by the league officials in mid-year, stopping Wednesday from completing any player acquisitions for the next three transfer windows, although the ban was rescinded in late summer.
Authority's Position
The chairman stated: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, teams facing challenges where people are committed to a community organization that has represented their community in numerous instances.
"I completely understand Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for each organization that over recent decades have faced collapse, or been close to going to the wall, for causes separate from the fans themselves."
Questioned about whether the oversight body could require an chairman to relinquish a club if they are deemed unsuitable, Kogan said: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the response would be once we assemble the facts and know what's going on, we will."
But Kogan stressed that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the oversight body would choose to collaborate with owners.
"Our least desirable course of action 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 proprietor's dealing with," the regulator explained.
"In actuality, when you review the record of the sport, over the past few decades there have been particular chairmen, not many, but some who have been irresponsible in the manner they have operated their organizations and finally don't wish to take responsibility for the coming years."
Wednesday followers have been protesting against the team's chairman in recent months
'Errors may undo substantial development'
The regulator engaged delegates from multiple organizations to lay out the remit of the authority recently and maintained it represented a "forward-thinking discussion" with a "significant participation" from the grassroots to elite level.
"This position carries substantial significance, because if errors are made, if the world of football gets it wrong, 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 substantial accomplishment - we need to continue the progress.
"There's an enormous amount of money coming into football and has been channeled for the last 20 or 25 years, because certainty is lacking it will continue to come into football, which is part of the rationale behind I think we have to maintain a focused outlook 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 fears of a negative impact on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the regulator stated: "I fully support the success and growth as an commercial operation of the top division.
"I of all people understand the apprehension regarding damaging the division as a high-quality offering of England. But concurrently, if you talk to the Premier League after this week's discussion, 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
The chairman continues to confront a "thorough examination" by the public appointments commissioner after he acknowledged providing funds to the opposition group in the past.
The 68-year-old contributed funds to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport the politician's campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I've been completely open about my previous political affiliation [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the select committee approved my appointment," the chairman stated.
"I am no longer involved in any sort of politics."
