🔗 Share this article Sheffield Wednesday Deals with Serious Challenges, States New Football Authority 'Our role is integral to football's future' - independent football regulator the new chairman Sheffield Wednesday's current difficulties are seen as a "major concern" and the new football authority is aiming to acquire authority to look into club affairs in such situations, the newly appointed chairman the regulator has stated. In a wide-ranging interview, Kogan, who was appointed on Monday, showed understanding towards the club's followers. The chairman convened with four supporter groups connected to the South Yorkshire club this week. The football club have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club failing to pay players on time on five separate occasions, including in the autumn. "Obviously the club has become a serious issue for football authorities and a major challenge for the sport," the chairman stated. "Sheffield Wednesday is one of the great brands for football in England and recently we have met fan representatives. "We are seeking authority... which will allow us to have the club and similar situations brought to our attention if they require examination and acted upon." Monetary Issues and Leadership Concerns Wednesday's embattled owner Dejphon Chansiri indicated in the summer he would be prepared to relinquish control at the stadium, but he has failed to complete a sale with prospective buyers. Delayed salary payments on time in earlier this year caused limitations by the league officials in summer, preventing the club from carrying out any player acquisitions for the next three transfer windows, although that restriction was lifted in August. Authority's Position The regulator explained: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the supporters of Wednesday, Bury or any football club where fans are dedicated to a local institution that has been part of their lives in numerous instances. "I completely understand the team's plight, as I do for every team that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or been close to going to the wall, for causes separate from the fans themselves." Inquired if the oversight body could require an proprietor to divest a club if they are deemed unsuitable, the regulator answered: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we collect the information and comprehend the circumstances, we will." But the regulator clarified that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the authority would rather to cooperate with proprietors. "The final option we would consider is commence engagement with an particular organization, an particular chairman, without having the opportunity to collaborate with that proprietor to address the issues that the club's facing and the chairman's encountering," the regulator explained. "However, realistically, when you look back over the history of the game, over the recent generations there have been some owners, few in number, but particular people who have shown negligence in the way which they've been managing their organizations and finally refuse to accept accountability for the coming years." Wednesday followers have been protesting against the team's chairman in recent months 'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes' Kogan met with delegates from multiple organizations to lay out the remit of the regulator on Wednesday and insisted it was a "progressive gathering" with a "significant participation" from the grassroots to elite level. "This position carries substantial significance, because if errors are made, if the world of football gets it wrong, the remarkable development accomplished might evaporate rapidly," the chairman stated. "This represents everyone's worst fear in the realm of domestic football is a huge success story - we need to continue the progress. "Considerable investment coming into football and has been channeled for the last 20 or 25 years, because there are no assurances it will persist in entering the game, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to take a really clear view on potential dangers and naturally, of the coming seasons." Elite Division Worries Top flight officials resisted the formation of an authority because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the chairman responded: "I fully support the prosperity and expansion as an economic entity of the Premier League. "As someone who appreciates the apprehension regarding damaging the division as a high-quality offering of this country. But concurrently, if you engage with division representatives after the recent gathering, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, indeed, they have been informing us confidentially they have a considerable comfort." Partisan Associations Kogan is still facing a "thorough examination" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he revealed he contributed money to the political party in the past. The official provided financial support for 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 ideological connection terminated the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the regulator explained. "I am presently disconnected from any type of partisan engagement."