'Our role is integral to football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman
Sheffield Wednesday's current difficulties constitute a "significant problem" and the new football authority is seeking powers to examine team situations in similar circumstances, the newly appointed chairman the official has announced.
During an extensive discussion, Kogan, who was recently selected, showed understanding towards the club's followers.
The chairman convened with four supporters' associations associated with the football team in recent days.
The Championship side have been struggling on and off the field in the current year, with the club failing to pay players on time on multiple instances, including in September.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a major concern for the league and a significant problem for football," Kogan told.
"Wednesday stands as one of the historic institutions for English football and in recent days we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.
"We are seeking authority... which will allow us to have the club and similar situations brought to our attention if they warrant scrutiny and addressed."
Economic Challenges and Ownership Situation
The team's struggling chairman the Thai businessman indicated in the summer he would be prepared to relinquish control at their home ground, but he has failed to complete a sale 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, stopping Wednesday from completing any transfers or loans for the next three transfer windows, although the ban was rescinded in August.
Official's Viewpoint
The regulator explained: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the supporters of Wednesday, other clubs in similar situations where supporters are loyal to a community organization that has represented their community in numerous instances.
"I have absolute sympathy for the club's situation, as I do for each organization that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or nearly ceased operations, for factors unrelated to the fans themselves."
Questioned about whether the regulator could force an chairman to relinquish a club if they are judged inappropriate, the chairman responded: "Should the inquiry concern '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 compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the oversight body would choose to cooperate with proprietors.
"The last thing what we want to do is commence engagement with an specific team, an specific proprietor, without having the opportunity to collaborate with that owner to try and resolve the issues that the club's facing and the owner's facing," the chairman stated.
"However, realistically, when you examine the past of the game, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been particular chairmen, few in number, but particular people who have shown negligence in the approach they have taken toward their teams and eventually don't wish to take responsibility for the future."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been protesting against owner Dejphon Chansiri in recent months
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
The chairman convened with representatives from 110 clubs to lay out the remit of the authority recently and insisted it was a "progressive gathering" with a "substantial involvement" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"The role holds considerable importance, because if we get it wrong, if the sport makes errors, the significant advances achieved might evaporate swiftly," the regulator warned.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the terms of English football is a substantial accomplishment - we've got to keep it going.
"There's an enormous amount of money coming into football and has been channeled for the past two decades, because certainty is lacking it will keep flowing into the sport, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on risk and of course, of the next two or three years."
Premier League Concerns
Elite division representatives objected to the creation of a regulator because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the top-flight's competitiveness, but Kogan said: "I fully support the achievement and development as an economic entity of the Premier League.
"Being fully aware of the concern of undermining the top flight as an elite competition of England. But simultaneously, if you consult with top flight officials 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 high level of reassurance."
Ideological Links
The regulator remains subject to a "thorough examination" by the official appointments authority 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 former ideological connection [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the parliamentary committee confirmed my selection," the chairman stated.
"I currently have no participation in any type of partisan engagement."
