🔗 Share this article Sheffield Wednesday Faces Major Issues, States New Football Authority 'Our role is integral to football's future' - football oversight chief the regulator's chair The Championship club's persistent issues constitute a "serious issue" and the independent regulator is aiming to acquire authority to examine team situations in similar circumstances, its new chair the regulator has stated. Through a comprehensive talk, the regulator, who was recently selected, showed understanding towards Wednesday's fanbase. The chairman convened with four supporters' associations associated with the Championship side in recent days. The team have been facing challenges both on and off the pitch in the current year, with the club failing to pay players on time on several different times, including in the autumn. "Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a major concern for the league and a significant problem for football," the chairman stated. "Sheffield Wednesday is one of the great brands for football in England and recently we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups. "Our aim is to acquire the ability... which will permit us to bring Wednesday and comparable cases referred to us if they require examination and dealt with." Financial Struggles and Leadership Concerns The club's controversial proprietor the Thai businessman stated during the off-season he would be open to selling the club at Hillsborough, but he has not been able to secure a deal with prospective buyers. Failure to pay player wages on time in spring months led to sanctions by the league officials in summer, stopping Wednesday from completing any recruitment activities for the next three transfer windows, although that restriction was lifted in late summer. Regulator's Perspective The chairman stated: "The job [of the regulator] is there for the supporters of Wednesday, 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 Sheffield Wednesday, as I do for all the clubs that over recent decades have faced collapse, or been close to going to the wall, for reasons that have nothing to do with the supporters." Inquired if the regulator could force an proprietor to divest a club if they are considered unfit, the chairman responded: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the reply is once we assemble the facts and understand the situation, we will." But the chairman emphasized that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be considered the final option and the regulator would prefer to work with them. "The last thing what we want to do is begin intervening in an specific team, an individual owner, without being able to work with that proprietor to address the problems affecting the organization and the proprietor's dealing with," the chairman stated. "However, realistically, when you examine the past of football, over the recent generations there have been some owners, a small minority, but certain individuals who have acted carelessly in the way which they've been managing their teams and eventually decline to assume obligation for the coming years." Owls fans have been voicing opposition to owner Dejphon Chansiri in recent months 'Errors may undo substantial development' The chairman convened with representatives from 110 clubs to detail the scope of the regulator on Wednesday and insisted it was a "proactive meeting" with a "significant participation" from the grassroots to elite level. "It's a job that's actually really important, because if errors are made, if the football community fails, the significant advances achieved necessary will vanish incredibly quickly," the regulator warned. "And that's what nobody wants in the terms of English football is a huge success story - we've got to keep it going. "There's an enormous amount of money flowing into the game and has been channeled for the recent generations, because certainty is lacking it will continue to come into football, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on potential dangers and naturally, of the next two or three years." Elite Division Worries Elite division representatives objected to the creation of a regulator because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the top-flight's competitiveness, but the regulator stated: "I fully support the prosperity and expansion as an commercial operation of the top division. "As someone who appreciates the worry about compromising the top flight as an elite competition of the nation. But at the same time, if you engage with division representatives after this week's discussion, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, indeed, they have been telling us in private they have a high level of reassurance." Ideological Links The chairman continues to confront a "thorough examination" by the public appointments commissioner after he disclosed making donations to the opposition group in the past. The official provided financial support for Culture Secretary the minister's leadership bid, along with that of the government leader. "I have fully disclosed my former ideological connection [with Labour], and that ideological connection terminated the day the parliamentary committee confirmed my selection," Kogan said. "I currently have no participation in any sort of politics."