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Sheffield Wednesday's ongoing struggles constitute a "major concern" and the football regulator is looking to gain the ability to look into club affairs in comparable cases, its new chair David Kogan has declared.

In a wide-ranging interview, the regulator, who was named to the position this week, voiced concern towards the club's followers.

The regulator engaged with four supporters' associations associated with the football team this week.

The team have been struggling on and off the field in 2025, with the club failing to pay players on time on several different times, including in the autumn.

"Obviously the club has become a serious issue for football authorities and a major challenge for the sport," Kogan told.

"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the historic institutions for the English game and this week we have met supporters' organizations.

"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will enable us to take the club and similar situations submitted for our review if they need to be investigated and acted upon."

Economic Challenges and Ownership Situation

The team's struggling chairman the current owner stated during the off-season he would be prepared to relinquish control at their home ground, but he has failed to complete a sale with interested parties.

Delayed salary payments on time in earlier this year caused limitations by the football authorities in June, preventing the club from carrying out any recruitment activities for the following recruitment periods, although those limitations were removed in the end of the transfer window.

Regulator's Perspective

The chairman stated: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the Owls followers, other clubs in similar situations where supporters are loyal to a regional establishment that has been part of their lives in multiple situations.

"I have absolute sympathy for the team's plight, 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."

When asked if the oversight body could require an proprietor to divest a club if they are considered unfit, the regulator answered: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we collect the information and understand the situation, we will."

But Kogan stressed that forcing owners to sell clubs would be treated as a "last resort" and the regulator would prefer to collaborate with owners.

"The final option we would consider is begin intervening in an individual club, an specific proprietor, without being able to work with that owner to try and resolve the issues that the club's facing and the chairman's encountering," the chairman stated.

"But the truth is, when you review the record of football, over the past few decades there have been some owners, few in number, but particular people who have shown negligence in the manner they have operated their clubs and ultimately decline to assume obligation for the future."

'If we get it wrong, extraordinary progress vanishes'

Kogan met with delegates from multiple organizations to explain the responsibilities of the oversight body this week and stated it constituted a "progressive gathering" with a "substantial involvement" from the National League to the Premier League.

"The role holds considerable importance, because if errors are made, if the football community fails, the extraordinary progress that's been made necessary will vanish rapidly," the chairman stated.

"This represents everyone's worst fear in the context of the English game is a major achievement - we've got to keep it going.

"Considerable investment entering the sport and has been channeled for the past two decades, because there are no assurances it will persist in entering the game, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to adopt a precise perspective on potential dangers and naturally, of the coming seasons."

Top Flight Apprehensions

The Premier League opposed the creation of a regulator because of fears of a negative impact on the Premier League's sporting equality, but Kogan said: "I fully support the success and growth as an economic entity of the elite league.

"Being fully aware of the concern of undermining the top flight as an elite competition of the nation. But at the same time, if you consult with top flight officials after today's meeting, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, in fact, they have been advising us privately they have a considerable comfort."

Ideological Links

The regulator remains subject to a "comprehensive investigation" by the Commissioner for Public Appointments after he acknowledged providing funds to the opposition group in recent years.

The chairman contributed funds to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

"I've been completely open about my past party membership [with Labour], and that party membership ceased the day the parliamentary committee confirmed my selection," the chairman stated.

"I am presently disconnected from any sort of politics."