'We are going to be a part of football's future' - football oversight chief David Kogan
Sheffield Wednesday's current difficulties represent a a "major concern" and the new football authority is seeking powers to examine team situations in such situations, the newly appointed chairman the official has announced.
Through a comprehensive talk, Kogan, who was named to the position this week, expressed "sympathy" towards the club's followers.
Kogan met with four fan organizations representing the South Yorkshire club in recent days.
The Championship side have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in this season, with the club failing to pay players on time on five separate occasions, including in September.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a major concern for the league and a significant problem for football," the regulator explained.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the iconic names for English football and in recent days we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.
"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will permit us to bring the club and similar situations brought to our attention if they need to be investigated and addressed."
Economic Challenges and Leadership Concerns
The club's controversial proprietor Dejphon Chansiri indicated in the summer he would be open to selling the club at the stadium, but he has not been able to secure a deal with interested parties.
Failure to pay player wages on time in earlier this year led to sanctions by the league officials in mid-year, stopping Wednesday from completing any player acquisitions for the following recruitment periods, although those limitations were removed in the end of the transfer window.
Authority's Position
Kogan said: "Our role exists to serve the supporters of Wednesday, Bury or any football club where people are committed to a regional establishment that has represented their community in multiple situations.
"I have absolute sympathy for the club's situation, 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 regulator could force an owner to sell a club if they are considered unfit, Kogan said: "Should the inquiry concern 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the response would be once we assemble the facts and understand the situation, we will."
But Kogan stressed that forcing owners to sell clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the authority would rather to cooperate with proprietors.
"The final option we would consider is begin intervening in an individual club, an individual owner, without being able to work with that proprietor to address the challenges confronting the team and the proprietor's dealing with," the chairman stated.
"In actuality, when you review the record of the sport, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been certain proprietors, a small minority, but some who have been irresponsible in the approach they have taken toward their teams and eventually decline to assume obligation for the long-term prospects."
Wednesday followers have been demonstrating against the team's chairman during the current campaign
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
The chairman convened with representatives from 110 clubs to lay out the remit of the authority recently and insisted it was a "forward-thinking discussion" with a "significant participation" from the grassroots to elite level.
"It's a job that's actually really important, because if we get it wrong, if the sport makes errors, the extraordinary progress that's been made necessary will vanish swiftly," the chairman stated.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the context of the English game is a huge success story - we've got to keep it going.
"Substantial financial resources flowing into the game and has come into football for the past two decades, because there are no assurances it will keep flowing into the sport, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to adopt a precise perspective on potential dangers and naturally, of the immediate future."
Top Flight Apprehensions
Top flight officials resisted the formation of an authority because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the chairman responded: "I completely endorse the prosperity and expansion as an economic entity of the top division.
"As someone who appreciates the apprehension regarding damaging the division as a high-quality offering of the nation. But concurrently, if you consult with top flight officials after today's meeting, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, in fact, they have been informing us confidentially they have a significant confidence."
Political Connections
The chairman continues to confront a "full inquiry" by the public appointments commissioner after he disclosed making donations to the Labour Party in the past.
The chairman donated money to government minister the politician's campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I've been completely open about my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the official body endorsed my nomination," Kogan said.
"I am presently disconnected from any sort of politics."
