'Our role is integral to football's future' - football oversight chief the new chairman
Sheffield Wednesday's ongoing struggles represent a a "significant problem" and the new football authority is seeking powers to investigate clubs in similar circumstances, its new chair David Kogan has announced.
In a wide-ranging interview, the chairman, who was named to the position this week, expressed "sympathy" towards supporters of the Owls.
Kogan met with four supporters' associations associated with the football team in recent days.
The Championship side have been struggling on and off the field in the current year, with the club delaying salary disbursements on five separate occasions, including in last month.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a serious issue for football authorities and a major challenge for the sport," the regulator explained.
"Wednesday stands as one of the great brands for English football and recently we have met fan representatives.
"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will enable us to take the club and similar situations brought to our attention if they need to be investigated and acted upon."
Economic Challenges and Ownership Situation
The club's controversial proprietor Dejphon Chansiri stated during the off-season he would be prepared to relinquish control at the stadium, but he has failed to complete a sale with prospective buyers.
Missed wage deadlines on time in March and May led to sanctions by the league officials in summer, blocking the team from conducting any transfers or loans for the next three transfer windows, although that restriction was lifted in August.
Official's Viewpoint
The regulator explained: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, teams facing challenges where fans are dedicated to a local institution that has existed throughout their lifetimes in numerous instances.
"I fully appreciate Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for every team that over recent decades have faced collapse, or been close to going to the wall, for factors unrelated to the fans themselves."
Inquired if the oversight body could require an owner to sell a club if they are judged inappropriate, the regulator answered: "If your question is 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we gather the evidence and know what's going on, we will."
But Kogan stressed that forcing owners to sell clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the oversight body would choose to cooperate with proprietors.
"The final option we would consider is begin intervening in an specific team, an specific proprietor, without being able to work with that chairman to fix the issues that the club's facing and the owner's facing," Kogan said.
"But the truth is, when you look back over the history of the sport, over the recent generations there have been some owners, a small minority, but some who have been irresponsible in the way which they've been managing their clubs and ultimately decline to assume obligation for the future."
Wednesday followers have been protesting against the team's chairman in recent months
'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'
Kogan met with officials from numerous teams to detail the scope of the oversight body this week and maintained it represented a "proactive meeting" with a "high level of engagement" 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 extraordinary progress that's been made might evaporate rapidly," Kogan said.
"Such an outcome is universally undesirable in the realm of domestic football is a substantial accomplishment - we need to continue the progress.
"Considerable investment coming into football and has come into football for the recent generations, 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 coming seasons."
Top Flight Apprehensions
Top flight officials resisted the creation of a regulator because of fears of a negative impact on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the regulator stated: "I fully support the prosperity and expansion as an financial organization of the Premier League.
"As someone who appreciates the apprehension regarding damaging the Premier League as a premium product of the nation. But at the same time, if you engage with division representatives after the recent gathering, they would have had a significant degree of comfort -and, in fact, they have been telling us in private they have a considerable comfort."
Ideological Links
The regulator remains subject to a "comprehensive investigation" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he disclosed making donations to the Labour Party in recent years.
The official contributed funds to government minister Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the government leader.
"I have been entirely transparent regarding my past party membership [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the regulator explained.
"I currently have no participation in any sort of politics."
