IT’S YOUR CALL..
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AS the full realisation of Saturday’s horrific events hit home, Alan Birchenall thanked Leicester’s tragic chairman for saving the club and himself – and for making all their dreams come true.
Birchenall’s ties and community efforts have earned the Foxes’ club ambassador the tag of ‘Mr Leicester’.
No one appreciated the club’s amazing 2016 Premier League victory more than the former forward, who had previously cried alone in his car when they were relegated to the third tier in 2008.
Yet as well as saving Leicester and bankrolling them to the title, Birchenall has revealed Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha put him on the road to recovery after a near-fatal heart attack.
And as Leicester as a city and a club came together yesterday to mark Srivaddhanaprabha’s shock passing in a helicopter crash, Birchenall paid tribute. The 73-year-old thanked Srivaddhanaprabha for so much – not least the incredible 5,000-1 title triumph in 2016 which gripped the world.
“I will be forever indebted to him for that unbelievable moment,” said Birchenall, associated with the Foxes for over 40 years. “It is not overstating to say that without Vichai that would not have happened. The club would not have lifted the title.
“He made the impossible possible. He allowed us to dream and we did, then woke up and it was real – we had won the league.”
Birchenall also spoke about the late City owner’s contribution to his own resurgence after a heart attack at an awards ceremony in January 2017, when he was saved by medical staff from the audience using a defibrillator.
Then he was helped back to full fitness by the support of the Thai billionaire, who bought the club in 2010 when they were in the Championship.
He added: “What this club gave back to me through Khun Vichai is unbelievable.
“In fact, when I was out of action, they sent me a cleaner to come and clean my little hovel, and she’s still doing it today, 18 months later.
“That’s Khun Vichai. He knew and he said, ‘You’ve still got that cleaner, Birchy. She was only supposed to be with you until you got on your feet again!’.
“But that was him. Vichai was an amazing man. I came very close to not being here any more and it really shook me.
“But the club were incredible and he was the club. Nothing was too much trouble.”
Under Birchenall, the club built a garden of remembrance for families of fans on site at the King Power. Srivaddhanaprabha ensured a bottle of whisky and glasses were left there on matchdays for those wanting to toast their loved ones.
Now that consideration and respect has been reflected in the outpouring of grief from the community and football world at the club’s late chairman.
Birchenall said: “I have been at this great club for almost 45 years in one way or another and have never known anything like this.
“There are our fans and supporters from other clubs who have felt compelled to come here to pay their respects. Even people who have no connection to football have come down to be part of this.
“This illustrates perfectly just how highly Vichai was regarded in the footballing world and beyond.”
With Srivaddhanaprabha in charge (his son Aiyawatt laying a wreath at the King Power, left), City treated their supporters as fellow fans rather than customers. They were treated to free breakfasts, food, drink, scarves, clappers, flags.
The Foxes squad themselves were each given a blue top-ofthe-range BMW supercar, worth £105,000 each, for winning the title.
But Birchenall insisted: “It was never just about the money. Of course, his total commitment showed in the staggering amount he was prepared to invest in Leicester City.
“But his genuine love for our club – and the people of this city and county – shone through.”
Claudio Ranieri, who led the Foxes to their famous title triumph, said: “I was terribly shaken by the news. He was a good man and always had a positive word for everyone.
“He came into the dressing room 30 minutes before every game to embrace everyone.
“One time, soon after my birthday, he arrived with a huge cake and made everyone sing ‘Happy Birthday’.
“He was an enlightened man and everything he touched became better. Now it’s up to his son, who has always been in love with football, to carry on in his father’s footsteps.” League trip to Cardiff and the players will be allowed to make it. The Premier League and the Welsh club are understood to be very sensitive about the disaster and will respect the City squad’s wishes.
Many were very close to Srivaddhanaprabha and stars like Jamie Vardy (below) were still visibly upset when paying tribute alongside the late owner’s son and vice-chairman Aiyawatt.
He flew in from Thailand with his mother, Aimon, the late City owner’s wife, to visit the stadium to inspect the tributes and leave their own. Srivaddhanaprabha’s family, as well as club staff and players, have united following Saturday’s disaster, which claimed five lives.
A warm-down session for the squad on Sunday was cancelled and the players returned to a “sombre” training ground yesterday before going to the stadium. Keeper Kasper Schmeichel, who ran out to witness the fireball, and boss Claude Puel spoke before players were then left to choose what they wanted to do.
A club source said: “It was a day geared around being together after everything that has happened.”