Features
English Premier League Pays Respect To Late Leicester City Owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
www.lcfc.com – Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
The much-loved owner of Leicester City soccer club passed away on Oct. 27
Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, owner of English soccer club Leicester City, died in a helicopter crash, Oct. 27. Tributes from players and professionals working in England’s Premier League have been pouring in.
Srivaddhanaprabha was loved by Leicester City players and fans alike. The Thai billionaire, who made his fortune as founder and CEO of travel retail group King Power, bought the club in 2010 for £39 million ($119 million).
Back then Leicester City was still playing in the second tier of the English league, and Srivaddhanaprabha is credited with turning the club into a competitive Premier League team that even won the league championship in the 2016/17 season.
It was a tradition for Srivaddhanaprabha to leave the club’s King Power Stadium by helicopter after home games, and the Oct. 27 fixture against West Ham United was no exception.
Media reports quote eye witnesses, who claim to have seen the helicopter’s tail rotor fail, which caused it to spin uncontrollably and go down.
The club’s goal keeper Kasper Schmeichel, who got signed by Srivaddhanaprabha in 2011, and was on the scene shortly after the crash, penned a heartfelt public letter, addressed to the late club owner.
“It’s difficult to put into words how much you have meant to this football club and to the city of Leicester. We all know about the investment in the football club you and your family have made. But this is about so much fore.
“You cared so deeply for not just the club but for the entire community. Your endless contribution to Leicester’s hospitals and charities will never be forgotten. You went above and beyond in every aspect.”
Schmeichel described Srivaddhanaprabha as “hard working, dedicated, passionate, kind and generous in the extreme,” a man that took time for everyone.
“You changed football. Forever,” he wrote.
Schmeichel’s feelings were reiterated by all of Leicester City’s players in one form or another. Many Premier League players from rivalling club’s offered their condolences on social media.
Leicester City’s official statement reads: “In Khun Vichai, the world has lost a great man. A man of kindness, of generosity and a man whose life was defined by the love he devoted to his family and those he so successfully led.
“Leicester City was a family under his leadership. It is as a family that we will grieve his passing and maintain the pursuit of a vision for the Club that is now his legacy.”
Richard Scudamore, the Premier League executive chairman, said: “Our deepest condolences and heartfelt thoughts go to the Srivaddhanaprabha family and all the relatives and friends of those involved in this tragic accident.
“Vichai was a gentleman who graced the game with his civility and charm and we will miss him enormously. His impact on Leicester – the football club and city – will be remembered for ever.”
The U.S. owners of Liverpool FC soccer club, John W Henry, Tom Werner and Mike Gordon, have also issued a statement: “It is with great sadness that we today offer our heartfelt sympathies to Leicester City after confirmation their owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha has tragically passed away.
“Our thoughts and condolences are extended to the families and loved ones of all those lost in this dreadful accident.
“The admiration we have for Vichai, his family and colleagues is as high as you can imagine, both professionally and personally.
“He was the ultimate custodian for the club he bought and then gracefully served. The Premier League title win, one of world football’s all-time great stories, is of course the standout achievement. But beyond that, he led his club in a manner which all of us in this privileged position aspire to. Success on the pitch, allied with outstanding governance off it.
“Vichai is a great loss not just to his club but to the Premier League and English football as a whole.
“The thoughts of everyone connected with Liverpool Football Club are with our friends in Leicester and Thailand.”