Puel haunted by night of tragedy
‘We remained a long time in silence. Then we noticed Kasper. He lived this situation, saw a lot of things’
VOICE quivering, Claude Puel yesterday opened his heart on the haunting moment he heard the club owner’s helicopter had crashed.
Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was killed along with four others in Saturday’s tragedy, an hour after Leicester’s 1-1 draw with West Ham.
“I was in my office in the stadium with my family and friends and all my staff,” said Leicester manager Puel. “Mike [Stowell], the goalkeeper coach, came in and gave me the news. We were devastated. We could not understand what had happened. It was not possible to take in the news.”
Puel was close to tears as he recounted the chilling moment he realised something had gone horribly wrong.
As the manager spoke outside the King Power Stadium, Srivaddhanaprabha’s dark blue Bentley limo – registration VS09 FOX – sat nearby and fire engines routinely passed by.
A group of a dozen firefighters, helmets under their arms, walked past. They had been first to the scene on Saturday night at the crash site not 300 yards away; now they had come to pay their respects and sign the book of condolence set up by the club.
In the other direction, fans milled into a marquee to do the same, and just across the way visitors added to the sea of flowers and scarves at the shrine outside the King Power turnstiles by the club shop.
Puel, whose side play at Cardiff tomorrow, said: “I didn’t see him after the game. I saw him before. He was enjoying it, he was happy, smiling. We discussed a lot.
“It was a pleasure. I obviously could not have imagined the things that came after.”
Puel recalled bumping into goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who had raced out to the scene on Saturday night and stayed at the stadium until around 1.30 on Sunday morning in a state of shock.
“I was with the staff,” said Puel. “We remained for a lot of time together, without it being possible to share words. It was silence. Then we saw Kasper. I think he was the only player remaining a long time after the game. We know what he could have seen. It was of course very difficult. Bad moments.” Asked exactly what the Danish goalkeeper had witnessed, Puel added: “I don’t want to give all the details. Kasper lived this situation and he saw a lot of things.” As the Foxes manager prepares his side for tomorrow’s match, his abiding memory of the Thai billionaire is his generosity of spirit. “It was his kindness in all situations. He wanted to please all the time,” said Puel. “He wanted people to be happy around him all the time. He invited me often to Ascot races and private Polo games. I met Prince William and Prince Harry. He shared all his things with people. It was fantastic.
“I took his boat to Antibes. He loaned it to me for three days to take with my family. All the time he wanted to please all the people around him. This is the image I want to keep.”
Puel said the way that Vichai’s widow Aimon and son Aiyawatt, known as Top, had insisted on sharing what could have been extremely private moments of grief had brought everyone at the club even closer together.
“Top shared the first moment to honour Vichai with us in the stadium. We discussed with his mother and with Top and it was
It was not possible to understand
shared,” said Puel. “We paid tribute at the site of the helicopter. We put flowers in the centre of the pitch.
“We shared these feelings with the fans, to see the flowers and share our grief. That was his first move, for his family club here. The owner made it a family. He made it great. He truly was loved by everyone in the club and outside the club.
“I was privileged to work with him. Seeing all the flowers shows the amount of lives he touched. He leaves behind a legacy that will be remembered forever.
“Playing football has not been at the front of our mind. But this weekend and all matches thereafter we will play to honour the man who did so much for us.”