'We will play a key role in football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
The Championship club's ongoing struggles are seen as a "significant problem" and the independent regulator is seeking powers to look into club affairs in similar circumstances, the recently named head David Kogan has announced.
Through a comprehensive talk, the chairman, who was named to the position this week, showed understanding towards Wednesday's fanbase.
The regulator engaged with four supporters' associations representing the football team in recent days.
The team have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in the current year, with the club delaying salary disbursements on five separate occasions, including in September.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a serious issue for football authorities and a major challenge for the sport," Kogan told.
"The club represents one of the historic institutions for English football and this week we have met fan representatives.
"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will permit us to bring the club and similar situations brought to our attention if they warrant scrutiny and dealt with."
Financial Struggles and Ownership Situation
The team's struggling chairman the Thai businessman indicated in the summer he would be open to selling the club at their home ground, but he has been unable to finalize an agreement with interested parties.
Failure to pay player wages on time in March and May led to sanctions by the English Football League (EFL) in mid-year, blocking the team from conducting any transfers or loans for the next three transfer windows, although the ban was rescinded in late summer.
Official's Viewpoint
Kogan said: "Our role exists to serve the Owls followers, other clubs in similar situations where fans are dedicated to a local institution that has represented their community in multiple situations.
"I have absolute sympathy for the club's situation, as I do for each organization that in modern times have encountered failure, or approached financial ruin, for causes separate from the supporters."
Inquired if the regulator could force an proprietor to divest a club if they are deemed unsuitable, the regulator answered: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we collect the information and understand the situation, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that forcing owners to sell clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the authority would rather to work with them.
"The final option we would consider is start getting involved with an individual club, an individual owner, without being able to work with that chairman to fix the issues that the club's facing and the owner's facing," Kogan said.
"However, realistically, when you look back over the history of the game, over the past few decades there have been certain proprietors, a small minority, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the approach they have taken toward their clubs and ultimately decline to assume obligation for the future."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been demonstrating against the current proprietor this season
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
The chairman convened with delegates from multiple organizations to explain the responsibilities of the oversight body this week and insisted it was a "proactive meeting" with a "substantial involvement" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because should mistakes occur, if the sport makes errors, the extraordinary progress that's been made could disappear incredibly quickly," the regulator warned.
"And that's what nobody wants in the terms of English football is a huge success story - we must maintain momentum.
"Substantial financial resources coming into football and has been invested for the past two decades, because there are no assurances it will keep flowing into the sport, which is part of the rationale behind I think we have to take a really clear view on challenges and obviously, of the coming seasons."
Premier League Concerns
Top flight officials resisted the formation of an authority because of concerns about detrimental effects on the elite division's competitive balance, but the regulator stated: "I completely endorse the prosperity and expansion as an commercial operation of the Premier League.
"I of all people understand the apprehension regarding damaging the top flight as an elite competition of this country. But simultaneously, if you talk to the Premier League after this week's discussion, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, indeed, they have been telling us in private they have a high level of reassurance."
Ideological Links
The regulator remains subject to a "comprehensive investigation" by the public appointments commissioner after he disclosed making donations to the opposition group 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 government leader.
"I have been entirely transparent regarding my previous political affiliation [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the regulator explained.
"I currently have no participation in any type of partisan engagement."
