'We are going to be a part of football's future' - football oversight chief David Kogan
Sheffield Wednesday's ongoing struggles are seen as a "serious issue" and the football regulator is looking to gain the ability to examine team situations in such situations, the newly appointed chairman David Kogan has stated.
In a wide-ranging interview, the regulator, who was appointed on Monday, expressed "sympathy" towards the club's followers.
Kogan met with four supporters' associations representing the Championship side recently.
The football club have been struggling on and off the field in the current year, with the club failing to pay players on time on five separate occasions, including in the autumn.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a serious issue for football authorities and a significant problem for football," the chairman stated.
"The club represents one of the great brands for English football and this week we have met supporters' organizations.
"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 Leadership Concerns
The club's controversial proprietor Dejphon Chansiri suggested earlier this year he would be prepared to relinquish control at their home ground, but he has failed to complete a sale with prospective buyers.
Delayed salary payments on time in spring months resulted in restrictions being imposed by the league officials in June, blocking the team from conducting any recruitment activities for the following recruitment periods, although that restriction was lifted in late summer.
Official's Viewpoint
The chairman stated: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the supporters of Wednesday, Bury or any football club where people are committed to a local institution that has been part of their lives in multiple situations.
"I completely understand the team's plight, as I do for every team that over recent decades have faced collapse, or been close to going to the wall, for reasons that have nothing to do with the supporters."
When asked if the oversight body could require 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 reply is once we assemble the facts and understand the situation, we will."
But the regulator clarified that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the regulator would prefer to collaborate with owners.
"The last thing what we want to do is start getting involved with an specific team, an specific proprietor, without being able to work with that owner to try and resolve the problems affecting the organization and the chairman's encountering," Kogan said.
"But the truth is, when you examine the past of the sport, over the recent generations there have been some owners, a small minority, but particular people who have shown negligence in the manner they have operated their clubs and ultimately refuse to accept accountability for the coming years."
Wednesday followers have been protesting against owner Dejphon Chansiri in recent months
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
The regulator engaged officials from numerous teams to detail the scope of the authority recently and maintained it represented a "forward-thinking discussion" with a "high level of engagement" from the National League to the Premier League.
"This position carries substantial significance, because should mistakes occur, if the sport makes errors, the extraordinary progress that's been made necessary will vanish swiftly," the chairman stated.
"Such an outcome is universally undesirable in the context of the English game is a huge success story - we need to continue the progress.
"There's an enormous amount of money coming into football 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 among the factors explaining I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on potential dangers and naturally, of the immediate future."
Premier League Concerns
Elite division representatives objected to the establishment of an oversight body because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the chairman responded: "I fully support the prosperity and expansion as an economic entity of the elite league.
"As someone who appreciates the concern of undermining the top flight as an elite competition of England. But at the same time, if you engage with division representatives after the recent gathering, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, indeed, they have been telling us in private they have a significant confidence."
Ideological Links
Kogan is still facing a "thorough examination" by the official appointments authority after he revealed he contributed money to the political party in the past.
The 68-year-old contributed funds to government minister the minister's leadership bid, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I've been completely open about my past party membership [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 form of political activity."
