United Kingdom: plans to tighten requirements for club owners & senior directors

The new Independent Football Regulator (IFR), created by The Football Governance Act 2025 enacted on 21/07/2025, has introduced a draft Owners, Directors and Senior Executives test (ODSE test) to tighten the requirements for club owners and senior executives, according to the UK Government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport website on 04/09/2025.

The Premier League and the EFL already have a system in place to ensure that new owners have the necessary guarantees to manage clubs (the Owners and Directors Test, ODT), however, the establishment of the new regulator aims to go even further to prevent certain situations, such as the one currently facing Sheffield Wednesday FC (Sky Bet Championship), for example, which is in financial difficulty due to the club's Thai owner Dejphon Chansiri.

"The new regime will assess the honesty, integrity and financial soundness of those who want to own or run a football club, ensuring they have the necessary skills and experience to do so. It will promote responsible ownership and protect the financial health of the 116 regulated football…