'We are going to be a part of football's future' - independent football regulator the regulator's chair
The team's current difficulties constitute a "major concern" and the football regulator is seeking powers to investigate clubs in similar circumstances, its new chair David Kogan has stated.
Through a comprehensive talk, Kogan, who was named to the position this week, expressed "sympathy" towards the club's followers.
Kogan met with four supporters' associations representing the South Yorkshire club in recent days.
The Championship side have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in the current year, with the club delaying salary disbursements on several different times, including in the autumn.
"Evidently Wednesday represents a serious issue for football authorities and a major challenge for the sport," the chairman stated.
"The club represents one of the iconic names for English football and in recent days we have met fan representatives.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will permit us to bring the club and similar situations brought to our attention if they warrant scrutiny and acted upon."
Financial Struggles and Ownership Situation
Wednesday's embattled owner the Thai businessman indicated in the summer he would be prepared to relinquish control at their home ground, but he has failed to complete a sale with prospective buyers.
Failure to pay player wages on time in spring months caused limitations by the league officials in mid-year, stopping Wednesday from completing any player acquisitions for the subsequent signing windows, although that restriction was lifted in late summer.
Authority's Position
The regulator explained: "Our role exists to serve the Owls followers, teams facing challenges where supporters are loyal to a community organization that has represented their community in many cases.
"I fully appreciate the team's plight, as I do for all the clubs that over recent decades have faced collapse, or been close to going to the wall, for factors unrelated to the fans themselves."
Questioned about whether the regulator could force an owner to sell a club if they are considered unfit, the chairman responded: "Should the inquiry concern 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we collect the information and know what's going on, we will."
But the chairman emphasized that forcing owners to sell clubs would be considered the final option and the regulator would prefer to collaborate with owners.
"The last thing what we want to do is start getting involved with an specific team, an individual owner, without having the opportunity to collaborate with that proprietor to address the issues that the club's facing and the chairman's encountering," Kogan said.
"But the truth is, when you examine the past of the sport, over the past few decades there have been certain proprietors, few in number, but particular people who have shown negligence in the way which they've been managing their teams and eventually refuse to accept accountability for the future."
Owls fans have been voicing opposition to the current proprietor this season
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
The regulator engaged representatives from 110 clubs to explain the responsibilities of the authority recently and stated it constituted a "forward-thinking discussion" with a "significant participation" from the grassroots to elite level.
"The role holds considerable importance, because should mistakes occur, if the world of football gets it wrong, the extraordinary progress that's been made necessary will vanish rapidly," the chairman stated.
"Such an outcome is universally undesirable in the terms of English football is a substantial accomplishment - we've got to keep it going.
"Substantial financial resources entering the sport and has come into football for the past two decades, because there's no guarantee it will continue to come into football, which is among the factors explaining I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on potential dangers and naturally, of the immediate future."
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 chairman responded: "I fully support the prosperity and expansion as an commercial operation of the elite league.
"As someone who appreciates the apprehension regarding damaging the top flight as an elite competition of this country. But at the same time, if you talk to the Premier League after the recent gathering, they would have had a substantial amount of confidence -and, actually, they have been informing us confidentially they have a considerable comfort."
Ideological Links
The chairman continues to confront a "comprehensive investigation" by the public appointments commissioner after he disclosed making donations to the political party in the past.
The 68-year-old donated money to government minister the politician's campaign, along with that of the government leader.
"I've been completely open about my previous political affiliation [with Labour], and that ideological connection terminated the day the official body endorsed my nomination," Kogan said.
"I am presently disconnected from any type of partisan engagement."
