Leicester despair after chopper crash
VICHAI Srivaddhanaprabha, the Thai billionaire owner of Leicester City, whose helicopter crashed outside the Premier League club’s stadium on Saturday, is the author of one of football’s greatest fairytales.
Srivaddhanaprabha, who owns duty free company King Power, travels to every home game in his private helicopter and frequently takes off from the pitch’s centre-circle after games. Leicester were unable to confirm yesterday whether there were casualties.
The polo-loving tycoon, endeared himself to Leicester fans when the unfashionable club broke the grip of England’s giants to win the Premier League in 2016 – the first top-flight title in their history.
The title win, against overwhelming odds, put the city in England’s Midlands on the global sporting map and brought glory to generations of long-suffering fans.
Leicester have been unable to reach the same meteoric heights since, finishing 12th in the following season and ninth in 2017-18 but are now firmly established as a Premier League club.
Forward Jamie Vardy, the talisman during Leicester’s glory season, tweeted a message that simply showed eight hands held together in prayer.
The bespectacled Thai tycoon is known for his unerring common touch, dishing out free beer and doughnuts at Leicester’s King Power Stadium, where he often lands his helicopter in the centre circle.
It was from there that his helicopter took off after the 1-1 draw with West Ham before crashing in the carpark directly outside the stadium.