'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 "major concern" and the new football authority is looking to gain the ability to examine team situations in similar circumstances, its new chair David Kogan has announced.
Through a comprehensive talk, Kogan, who was named to the position this week, expressed "sympathy" towards supporters of the Owls.
Kogan met with four supporters' associations representing the Championship side in recent days.
The Championship side have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in the current year, with the club failing to pay players on time on five separate occasions, including in the autumn.
"Obviously the club has become a major concern for the league and a major challenge for the sport," Kogan told.
"The club represents one of the great brands for English football and this week we have met supporters' organizations.
"We are seeking authority... which will permit us to bring Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs submitted for our review if they need to be investigated and addressed."
Monetary Issues and Leadership Concerns
The team's struggling chairman the Thai businessman suggested earlier this year he would be open to selling the club at Hillsborough, but he has failed to complete a sale with interested parties.
Delayed salary payments on time in spring months led to sanctions by the league officials in summer, blocking the team from conducting any recruitment activities for the subsequent signing windows, although that restriction was lifted in late summer.
Regulator's Perspective
The chairman stated: "Our role exists to serve the supporters of Wednesday, Bury or any football club where fans are dedicated to a regional establishment that has represented their community in many cases.
"I have absolute sympathy for the club's situation, as I do for all the clubs that since 1992 have gone to the wall, or been close to going to the wall, for factors unrelated to the supporters."
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 comprehend the circumstances, we will."
But Kogan stressed that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be viewed as the ultimate measure and the regulator would prefer to collaborate with owners.
"The last thing what we want to do is commence engagement with an specific team, an individual owner, without being in a position to cooperate with that chairman to fix the problems affecting the organization and the chairman's encountering," the chairman stated.
"But the truth is, when you examine the past of the game, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been certain proprietors, a small minority, but some who have been irresponsible in the manner they have operated their clubs and ultimately don't wish to take responsibility for the long-term prospects."
Wednesday followers have been protesting against owner Dejphon Chansiri in recent months
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
Kogan met with representatives from 110 clubs to detail the scope of the authority recently and stated it constituted a "forward-thinking discussion" with a "high level of engagement" from the National League to the Premier League.
"The role holds considerable importance, because if errors are made, if the sport makes errors, the remarkable development accomplished necessary will vanish swiftly," the regulator warned.
"This represents everyone's worst fear in the context of the English game is a major achievement - we must maintain momentum.
"There's an enormous amount of money flowing into the game and has been channeled for the recent generations, because there's no guarantee it will persist in entering the game, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on potential dangers and naturally, of the immediate future."
Premier League Concerns
Elite division representatives objected to the creation of a regulator because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the elite division's competitive balance, but the regulator stated: "I'm absolutely committed to the success and growth as an economic entity of the Premier League.
"As someone who appreciates the concern of undermining the Premier League as a premium product of this country. But concurrently, 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 informing us confidentially they have a considerable comfort."
Partisan Associations
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 official contributed funds to government minister the politician's campaign, along with that of the current Prime Minister.
"I have fully disclosed my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that political affiliation came to an end the day the official body endorsed my nomination," the regulator explained.
"I currently have no participation in any form of political activity."
