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Sheffield Wednesday's current difficulties constitute a "major concern" and the new football authority is seeking powers to investigate clubs in such situations, its new chair the regulator has stated.

Through a comprehensive talk, the chairman, who was named to the position this week, voiced concern towards supporters of the Owls.

The chairman convened with four supporter groups associated with the Championship side recently.

The Championship side have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in 2025, with the club failing to pay players on time on five separate occasions, including in the autumn.

"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a major concern for the league and a significant problem for football," Kogan told.

"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the historic institutions for football in England and this week we have met supporters' organizations.

"We're now looking to get powers... which will allow us to have Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs referred to us if they warrant scrutiny and addressed."

Monetary Issues and Proprietorship Status

The club's controversial proprietor the Thai businessman stated during the off-season he would be open to selling the club at Hillsborough, but he has failed to complete a sale with interested parties.

Failure to pay player wages on time in March and May resulted in restrictions being imposed by the football authorities in summer, stopping Wednesday from completing any recruitment activities for the following recruitment periods, although the ban was rescinded in late summer.

Official's Viewpoint

The chairman stated: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the Owls followers, teams facing challenges where fans are dedicated to a local institution that has represented their community in numerous instances.

"I have absolute sympathy for the team's plight, as I do for every team that over recent decades have faced collapse, or nearly ceased operations, for reasons that have nothing to do with the supporters."

Questioned about whether the authority might compel an chairman to relinquish a club if they are deemed unsuitable, Kogan said: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the response would be once we gather the evidence and understand the situation, we will."

But the chairman emphasized that compelling proprietors to divest clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the oversight body would choose to work with them.

"The final option we would consider is begin intervening in an specific team, an individual owner, without being in a position to cooperate with that proprietor to address the issues that the club's facing and the owner's facing," Kogan said.

"But the truth is, when you examine the past of the game, over the past few decades there have been some owners, few in number, but some who have been irresponsible in the way which they've been managing their teams and eventually decline to assume obligation for the future."

'Errors may undo substantial development'

The chairman convened with delegates from multiple organizations to detail the scope of the authority recently and stated it constituted a "proactive meeting" with a "high level of engagement" from the lower divisions to the top flight.

"It's a job that's actually really important, because if errors are made, if the sport makes errors, the significant advances achieved necessary will vanish rapidly," the chairman stated.

"And that's what nobody wants in the realm of domestic football is a huge success story - we need to continue the progress.

"Considerable investment flowing into the game and has come into football for the past two decades, because certainty is lacking it will persist in entering the game, which is part of the rationale behind I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on potential dangers and naturally, of the coming seasons."

Premier League Concerns

The Premier League opposed the establishment of an oversight body because of fears of a negative impact on the Premier League's sporting equality, but Kogan said: "I fully support the success and growth as an economic entity of the top division.

"I of all people understand the apprehension regarding damaging the division as a high-quality offering of this country. But simultaneously, if you engage with division representatives after today's meeting, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, in fact, they have been advising us privately they have a considerable comfort."

Ideological Links

The regulator remains subject to a "full inquiry" by the public appointments commissioner after he acknowledged providing funds to the Labour Party in 2020.

The 68-year-old donated money to government minister 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," Kogan said.

"I am presently disconnected from any form of political activity."