'Our role is integral to football's future' - newly appointed regulator the regulator's chair
Sheffield Wednesday's ongoing struggles are seen as a "serious issue" and the independent regulator is aiming to acquire authority to investigate clubs in similar circumstances, its new chair David Kogan has announced.
During an extensive discussion, the chairman, who was named to the position this week, expressed "sympathy" towards the club's followers.
The regulator engaged with four supporters' associations associated with the football team this week.
The football club have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in this season, with the club delaying salary disbursements on five separate occasions, including in September.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a major concern for the league and a significant problem for football," the chairman stated.
"The club represents one of the iconic names for football in England and this week we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.
"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will enable us to take Wednesday and comparable cases referred to us if they warrant scrutiny and acted upon."
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 their home ground, but he has been unable to finalize an agreement with potential new owners.
Delayed salary payments on time in earlier this year led to sanctions by the league officials in June, stopping Wednesday from completing any transfers or loans for the next three transfer windows, although those limitations were removed in late summer.
Regulator's Perspective
The chairman stated: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the Owls followers, other clubs in similar situations where people are committed 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 each organization that over recent decades have faced collapse, 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 deemed unsuitable, Kogan said: "Should the inquiry concern 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we assemble the facts and know what's going on, we will."
But Kogan stressed 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 start getting involved with an specific team, an individual owner, without being in a position to cooperate with that proprietor to address the problems affecting the organization and the chairman's encountering," the chairman stated.
"In actuality, when you review the record of the game, over the past few decades there have been certain proprietors, few in number, but some who have been irresponsible in the way which they've been managing their clubs and ultimately refuse to accept accountability for the coming years."
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been voicing opposition to the team's chairman during the current campaign
'Errors may undo substantial development'
Kogan met with delegates from multiple organizations to lay out the remit of the regulator on Wednesday and insisted it was a "proactive meeting" with a "significant participation" from the lower divisions to the top flight.
"The role holds considerable importance, because should mistakes occur, if the football community fails, the extraordinary progress that's been made could disappear incredibly quickly," Kogan said.
"Such an outcome is universally undesirable in the context of the English game is a major achievement - we've got to keep it going.
"There's an enormous amount of money flowing into the game and has been channeled for the last 20 or 25 years, because certainty is lacking it will keep flowing into the sport, which is part of the rationale behind I think we have to take a really clear view on risk and of course, of the immediate future."
Top Flight Apprehensions
The Premier League opposed the formation of an authority because of fears of a negative impact on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the regulator stated: "I'm absolutely committed to the prosperity and expansion as an commercial operation of the elite league.
"I of all people understand the apprehension regarding damaging the top flight as an elite competition of this country. But at the same time, if you engage with division representatives after today's meeting, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, indeed, they have been informing us confidentially they have a high level of reassurance."
Partisan Associations
The regulator remains subject to a "comprehensive investigation" by the public appointments commissioner after he revealed he contributed money to the Labour Party in the past.
The chairman provided financial support for Culture Secretary the minister's leadership bid, 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 select committee approved my appointment," Kogan said.
"I currently have no participation in any sort of politics."
