HEARTBROKEN FOXES CAN FLY TO THAILAND FOR FUNERAL
LEICESTER players will be given permission to go to the funeral in Thailand of the club’s late chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
The 60-year-old Leicester owner died on Saturday, along with four others, when his helicopter crashed after taking off from the King Power Stadium.
His funeral will start tomorrow in Bangkok and, in keeping with Buddhist tradition, will last several days.
The players return to action at Cardiff tomorrow in the Premier League.
But Foxes boss Claude Puel admitted: “I want to give the opportunity for players and staff to go to the funeral.
“We will see the possibility and logistics. I don’t know about that for the moment.
“But of course all the players want to go to support his family, support his wife, his son Top, all the family in this awful moment.
“We shared this feeling and I was impressed by the strength and dignity of his wife and his son.
“I would like to thank them because they shared their sorrow with us like a family.”
In recognition of Srivaddhanaprabha’s status within his native Thailand, the ceremony has been granted ‘Royal sponsorship’.
This includes a Royal Bathing Rite for the body and a special eight-sided urn for his remains.
His body is expected to leave Leicester and be transported back to Thailand today with his son Top missing the Cardiff match to accompany the repatriation.
Leicester are then not back in action again until the visit of Burnley on Saturday, November 10.