Thousands of Sheffield Wednesday fans were denied entry into the King Power Stadium for their clash with Leicester.

The Owls are facing the freshly relegated outfit in their opening match of the Championship season on Sunday.

The visiting supporters boycotted the first five minutes of their season opener

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The visiting supporters boycotted the first five minutes of their season openerCredit: GettyThousands of Wednesday fans were denied entry prior to kick-off against Leicester

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Thousands of Wednesday fans were denied entry prior to kick-off against LeicesterCredit: Getty

Visiting supporters had planned several protests against owner Dejphon Chansiri both before and during the match.

Amongst them was not taking their seats for the first five minutes of the match.

However, this caused a safety issue with only 1,000 fans permitted on the concourse at a time.

As a result, 1,000 supporters were allowed into the stadium, with the remaining 2,000 held outside until the end of the protest.

Following the first five minutes, Wednesday fans began to take their seats in the away end.

They received a standing ovation from the home Foxes fans inside the King Power Stadium in response to their efforts.

Having taken their seats, Wednesday fans were given a reason to celebrate in the 26th minute as they took the lead through Nathaniel Chalobah.

Their players ran the length of the pitch in response to celebrate in front of the travelling supporters.

The boycott followed the unfurling of a banner in the away end prior to kick-off directed at Chansiri.

Across the banner read the message: “SWFC for sale – enough is enough.”

A banner was flown over the stadium as part of the Wednesday fans' protests

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A banner was flown over the stadium as part of the Wednesday fans’ protestsCredit: Getty

Meanwhile, a plane flew over the stadium with a banner reading: “Dejphon Chansiri out.”

Wednesday’s owner has overseen a chaotic summer at Hillsborough, with the club left with just 17 senior players prior to their league opener.

Players and staff were finally paid their July wages ahead of the match, having not been paid on time for the fourth time in five months.

It followed the cancellation of their pre-season friendly against Burnley last weekend after players and staff refused to fulfil the fixture.

Manager Danny Rohl also left the club, who were the subject of three EFL embargos due to unpaid wages, transfer fees and money owed to HMRC.

The North Stand at Hillsborough is currently closed by Sheffield City Council due to safety concerns.

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Chansiri, who bought Wednesday in 2015, has stated his intention to sell the club but has yet to agree a deal with a prospective buyer.

Former Crystal Palace majority shareholder John Textor has shown an interest in buying the crisis club.

The American businessman told the Sheffield Star, per PA news agency: “It’s true that I am looking for a traditional English club to buy, or with which I can partner…

“I just have not spoken with anybody at Sheffield Wednesday yet and I am monitoring the situation, hoping to better understand it.

“I’m definitely interested. It’s a lot to solve in a short amount of time with regards to taking advantage of the transfer window but it’s definitely a club and community I would like to help.

“I often cite [Wednesday] as an example of what’s wrong with football today.

Chansiri has failed to pay his players on time four times in the last five months

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Chansiri has failed to pay his players on time four times in the last five monthsCredit: Getty

“The lack of parity, because of the influence of money and I wish there was a system where the Sheffield Wednesdays of the world could be champions again.”

Textor sold his stake in Palace to New York Jets co-owner Woody Johnson in June.