🔗 Share this article

The team's current difficulties represent a a "serious issue" and the independent regulator is seeking powers to look into club affairs in similar circumstances, its new chair David Kogan has stated.

In a wide-ranging interview, the regulator, who was named to the position this week, voiced concern towards supporters of the Owls.

The regulator engaged with four supporter groups associated with the football team in recent days.

The football club have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in 2025, with the club delaying salary disbursements on five separate occasions, including in September.

"Evidently Wednesday represents a significant problem for EFL and a substantial concern for English football," the regulator explained.

"The club represents one of the historic institutions for the English game and recently we have met fan representatives.

"Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will permit us to bring the club and similar situations submitted for our review if they need to be investigated and dealt with."

Financial Struggles and Proprietorship Status

Wednesday's embattled owner the Thai businessman stated during the off-season he would be willing to sell up at their home ground, but he has failed to complete a sale with interested parties.

Missed wage deadlines on time in earlier this year caused limitations by the football authorities in summer, preventing the club from carrying out any player acquisitions for the following recruitment periods, although the ban was rescinded in August.

Authority's Position

Kogan said: "The position was created for the Owls followers, Bury or any football club where fans are dedicated to a local institution that has represented their community in many cases.

"I completely understand the team's plight, as I do for all the clubs that in modern times have encountered failure, or been close to going to the wall, for factors unrelated to the fans themselves."

Inquired if the authority might compel an owner to sell a club if they are deemed unsuitable, Kogan said: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we gather the evidence and know what's going on, we will."

But the chairman emphasized that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be considered the final option and the authority would rather to cooperate with proprietors.

"The final option we would consider is start getting involved with an specific team, an particular chairman, without having the opportunity to collaborate with that proprietor to address the problems affecting the organization and the owner's facing," the chairman stated.

"But the truth is, when you review the record of football, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been particular chairmen, not many, but particular people who have shown negligence in the way which they've been managing their teams and eventually decline to assume obligation for the coming years."

'Mistakes could erase significant advances'

Kogan met with delegates from multiple organizations to explain the responsibilities of the regulator on Wednesday and stated it constituted a "proactive meeting" with a "high level of engagement" from the lower divisions to the top flight.

"The role holds considerable importance, because if errors are made, if the world of football gets it wrong, the extraordinary progress that's been made could disappear rapidly," the regulator warned.

"And that's what nobody wants in the realm of domestic football is a substantial accomplishment - we've got to keep it going.

"There's an enormous amount of money entering the sport and has been invested for the past two decades, because there are no assurances it will keep flowing into the sport, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on potential dangers and naturally, of the next two or three years."

Top Flight Apprehensions

Top flight officials resisted the establishment of an oversight body because of fears of a negative impact on the Premier League's sporting equality, but the regulator stated: "I fully support the achievement and development as an commercial operation of the Premier League.

"Being fully aware of the worry about compromising the division as a high-quality offering of this country. But concurrently, if you talk to the Premier League after the recent gathering, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, indeed, they have been informing us confidentially they have a considerable comfort."

Political Connections

The chairman continues to confront a "full inquiry" by the public appointments commissioner after he acknowledged providing funds to the Labour Party in 2020.

The chairman provided financial support for Culture Secretary the politician's campaign, along with that of the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

"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 chairman stated.

"I currently have no participation in any sort of politics."