'Our role is integral to football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
Sheffield Wednesday's ongoing struggles constitute a "major concern" and the independent regulator is seeking powers to examine team situations in such situations, the newly appointed chairman David Kogan has declared.
In a wide-ranging interview, Kogan, who was recently selected, voiced concern towards the club's followers.
Kogan met with four fan organizations associated with the Championship side recently.
The team have been struggling on and off the field in this season, with the club delaying salary disbursements on multiple instances, including in the autumn.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a serious issue for football authorities and a significant problem for football," the chairman stated.
"Wednesday stands as one of the historic institutions for English football and recently we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.
"We are seeking authority... which will allow us to have Wednesday and comparable cases referred to us if they need to be investigated and acted upon."
Financial Struggles and Ownership Situation
The club's controversial proprietor the Thai businessman suggested earlier this year he would be open to selling the club at Hillsborough, but he has been unable to finalize an agreement with potential new owners.
Delayed salary payments on time in spring months led to sanctions by the English Football League (EFL) in mid-year, stopping Wednesday from completing any player acquisitions for the following recruitment periods, although the ban was rescinded in the end of the transfer window.
Official's Viewpoint
Kogan said: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the supporters of Wednesday, teams facing challenges where fans are dedicated to a regional establishment that has represented their community in many cases.
"I completely understand the team's plight, as I do for all the clubs that in modern times have encountered failure, or approached financial ruin, for causes separate from the fans themselves."
Questioned about whether the oversight body could require an proprietor to divest a club if they are judged inappropriate, the chairman responded: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we gather the evidence and comprehend the circumstances, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that forcing owners to sell clubs would be considered the final option and the oversight body would choose to collaborate with owners.
"The final option we would consider is commence engagement with an particular organization, an particular chairman, without being in a position to cooperate with that chairman to fix the issues that the club's facing and the chairman's encountering," the chairman stated.
"In actuality, when you examine the past of football, over the recent generations there have been some owners, not many, but particular people who have shown negligence in the way which they've been managing their organizations and finally don't wish to take responsibility for the coming years."
Wednesday followers have been voicing opposition to the current proprietor in recent months
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
The chairman convened with officials from numerous teams to lay out the remit of the oversight body this week and stated it constituted a "proactive meeting" with a "high level of engagement" from the grassroots to elite level.
"The role holds considerable importance, because if we get it wrong, if the sport makes errors, the extraordinary progress that's been made might evaporate rapidly," the chairman stated.
"And that's what nobody wants in the context of the English game is a huge success story - we must maintain momentum.
"Considerable investment entering the sport and has been channeled for the last 20 or 25 years, because certainty is lacking it will keep flowing into the sport, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to take a really clear view on challenges and obviously, of the next two or three years."
Top Flight Apprehensions
The Premier League opposed the creation of a regulator because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the chairman responded: "I fully support the achievement and development as an financial organization of the elite league.
"As someone who appreciates the worry about compromising the Premier League as a premium product of this country. But at the same time, if you talk to the Premier League after this week's discussion, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, actually, they have been telling us in private they have a considerable comfort."
Ideological Links
Kogan is still facing a "thorough examination" 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 government minister the politician's campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have been entirely transparent regarding my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the regulator explained.
"I currently have no participation in any sort of politics."
