'We will play a key role in football's future' - football oversight chief the regulator's chair
The team's ongoing struggles constitute a "serious issue" and the independent regulator is seeking powers to investigate clubs in comparable cases, the recently named head David Kogan has announced.
During an extensive discussion, the chairman, who was recently selected, expressed "sympathy" towards the club's followers.
Kogan met with four supporters' associations representing the Championship side this week.
The Championship side have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in this season, with the club missing wage payments on five separate occasions, including in last month.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a significant problem for EFL and a substantial concern for English football," the chairman stated.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the great brands for the English game 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 submitted for our review if they warrant scrutiny and dealt with."
Monetary Issues and Leadership Concerns
The club's controversial proprietor the current owner suggested earlier this year he would be prepared to relinquish control at the stadium, but he has not been able to secure a deal with prospective buyers.
Failure to pay player wages on time in March and May resulted in restrictions being imposed by the English Football League (EFL) in summer, 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 position was created for the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, other clubs in similar situations where fans are dedicated to a local institution that has been part of their lives in numerous instances.
"I completely understand Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for all the clubs that over recent decades have faced collapse, or nearly ceased operations, for factors unrelated to the supporters."
Questioned about whether the oversight body could require an chairman to relinquish a club if they are judged inappropriate, the chairman responded: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we collect the information and comprehend the circumstances, we will."
But Kogan stressed that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be considered the final option and the authority would rather to cooperate with proprietors.
"The last thing what we want to do is start getting involved with an particular organization, an specific proprietor, without having the opportunity to collaborate with that chairman to fix the issues that the club's facing and the owner's facing," the chairman stated.
"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 organizations and finally decline to assume obligation for the coming years."
Wednesday followers have been protesting against the team's chairman during the current campaign
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
Kogan met with representatives from 110 clubs to explain the responsibilities of the regulator on Wednesday and maintained it represented a "progressive gathering" with a "significant participation" from the grassroots to elite level.
"The role holds considerable importance, because should mistakes occur, if the football community fails, the extraordinary progress that's been made could disappear rapidly," the regulator warned.
"Such an outcome is universally undesirable in the realm of domestic football is a huge success story - we've got to keep it going.
"Substantial financial resources entering the sport and has been invested for the last 20 or 25 years, because there are no assurances it will keep flowing into the sport, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on potential dangers and naturally, of the next two or three years."
Top Flight Apprehensions
The Premier League opposed the establishment of an oversight body because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the top-flight's competitiveness, but Kogan said: "I fully support the achievement and development as an commercial operation of the top division.
"As someone who appreciates 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 high level of reassurance -and, indeed, they have been informing us confidentially they have a high level of reassurance."
Ideological Links
Kogan is still facing a "full inquiry" by the public appointments commissioner after he disclosed making donations to the Labour Party in recent years.
The official contributed funds to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have been entirely transparent regarding my past party membership [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."
