Swarajya Logo

Insta

Tragedy Strikes Leicester City As Their Thai Owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Dies In Helicopter Crash

Swarajya StaffOct 29, 2018, 02:14 PM | Updated 02:14 PM IST
Vichai and his leadership inspired one of football’s biggest underdog stories (Picture Credits- Facebook)

Vichai and his leadership inspired one of football’s biggest underdog stories (Picture Credits- Facebook)


Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha had forever etched his name in football history as he achieved the impossible by taking a newly promoted club as an owner to new heights and helping them win the Premier League two seasons after they gained promotion despite people having doubts about them surviving relegation and staying in the Premier League.

Tragedy struck on Saturday (27 October) as a helicopter carrying the 60-year-old and four other people crashed in the club car park after taking off from inside the King Power stadium.

The club later announced that the owner along with four other people on board did not survive the crash, which left fans and players heartbroken.

“Without you,the dream wouldn’t have become a reality.”, read a message carried by one of the fans at the crash site.

Leicester's next couple of fixtures have been postponed including the match against Southampton in the League Cup on Tuesday ( November 30).

“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”, said a statement.

Vichai started King Power duty-free chains with a single shop and grew that to one of Thailand’s biggest conglomerates. He bought Leicester for 39 million pounds ($50 million) in 2010 when it was in England’s second-tier competition. He subsequently oversaw their status as a Premier League regular.

Join our WhatsApp channel - no spam, only sharp analysis