'Our role is integral to football's future' - football oversight chief the regulator's chair
The Championship club's ongoing struggles are seen as a "serious issue" and the football regulator is looking to gain the ability to examine team situations in comparable cases, its new chair David Kogan has announced.
During an extensive discussion, the regulator, who was recently selected, expressed "sympathy" towards supporters of the Owls.
Kogan met with four supporter groups representing the Championship side in recent days.
The team have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in the current year, with the club failing to pay players on time on several different times, including in last month.
"Obviously the club has become a significant problem for EFL and a substantial concern for English football," the chairman stated.
"The club represents one of the historic institutions for the English game and this week we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.
"We are seeking authority... which will permit us to bring Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs submitted for our review if they require examination and dealt with."
Financial Struggles and Proprietorship Status
The team's struggling chairman the Thai businessman indicated in the summer he would be open to selling the club at the stadium, but he has failed to complete a sale with potential new owners.
Failure to pay player wages on time in spring months led to sanctions by the English Football League (EFL) in summer, blocking the team from conducting any transfers or loans for the subsequent signing windows, although that restriction was lifted in August.
Regulator's Perspective
The regulator explained: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the supporters of Wednesday, teams facing challenges where people are committed to a local institution that has existed throughout their lifetimes in many cases.
"I completely understand Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for all the clubs that over recent decades have faced collapse, or been close to going to the wall, for factors unrelated to the followers."
Questioned about whether the authority might compel an owner to sell a club if they are considered unfit, the regulator answered: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the response would be once we collect the information and know what's going on, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that compelling proprietors to divest 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 specific team, an individual owner, without being in a position to cooperate with that owner to try and resolve the challenges confronting the team and the owner's facing," the regulator explained.
"However, realistically, when you look back over the history of football, over the recent generations there have been particular chairmen, not many, but particular people who have shown negligence in the approach they have taken toward their clubs and ultimately don't wish to take responsibility for the long-term prospects."
Wednesday followers have been protesting against the team's chairman in recent months
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
The regulator engaged officials from numerous teams to lay out the remit of the regulator on Wednesday and insisted it was a "forward-thinking discussion" with a "substantial involvement" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"This position carries substantial significance, because if we get it wrong, if the world of football gets it wrong, the extraordinary progress that's been made could disappear rapidly," the chairman stated.
"And that's what nobody wants in the terms of English football is a substantial accomplishment - we must maintain momentum.
"Substantial financial resources coming into football and has been invested for the past two decades, because there's no guarantee it will persist in entering the game, which is part of the rationale behind I think we have to adopt a precise perspective on risk and of course, of the next two or three years."
Elite Division Worries
Elite division representatives objected to the creation of a regulator because of concerns about detrimental effects on the elite division's competitive balance, but the regulator stated: "I completely endorse the prosperity and expansion as an economic entity of the Premier League.
"As someone who appreciates the apprehension regarding damaging the Premier League as a premium product of the nation. But concurrently, if you talk to the Premier League after today's meeting, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, indeed, they have been informing us confidentially they have a significant confidence."
Ideological Links
The regulator remains subject to a "thorough examination" by the public appointments commissioner after he revealed he contributed money to the political party in the past.
The 68-year-old contributed funds to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport the politician's campaign, along with that of the government leader.
"I've been completely open about my past party membership [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the select committee approved my appointment," Kogan said.
"I am presently disconnected from any sort of politics."
