CLAUDE PUEL REVEALS FOXES HEARTACHE
CLAUDE PUEL, voice quivering, opened his heart yesterday on the haunting moment he heard Leicester’s owner’s helicopter had crashed.
The Foxes boss gave a heart-rending account of when he was told something had gone tragically wrong within yards of the King Power Stadium on Saturday night.
Owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others were killed when his private helicopter was engulfed in a fireball after crashing an hour after Leicester’s 1-1 home draw with West Ham.
Puel was in his office at the time and was close to tears again as he recounted the chilling moment he realised that something was wrong.
The Foxes boss 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. I obviously could not have imagined the things that came after.
“I was in my office in the stadium with my family and friends and all my staff. Mike [Stowell], the goalkeeper coach, came in and gave me the news.
“Of course we were devastated. We could not understand what had happened. It was not possible to take in the news.”
As he spoke, the Thai billionaire’s dark blue Bentley limo – registration VS09 FOX – sat outside the media centre at the ground and fire engines routinely passed by.
A dozen firefighters, helmets under their arms, walked past.
They were the actual fire crew who had been first to the crash site on Saturday night and had come back to pay their respects and to sign the book of condolence.
Fans filed into a marquee to sign the same book of condolence and just across the way even more visitors added to the sea of flowers and scarves at the still growing shrine outside the turnstiles by the club shop.
Puel recalled seeing his goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who had raced out to the scene less than 300 yards from the ground and remained at the stadium until around 1.30 the following 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 international had witnessed, Puel added, unsteadily: “I don’t want to give all the details. Kasper lived this situation and he saw a lot of things.”
The Foxes boss has been trying to prepare his shell-shocked side for tomorrow’s game at Cardiff revealing that his abiding memory of the 60-year-old billionaire was his generosity of spirit.
Shared
“It was his spirit, his kindness in all situations,” he said. “He wanted to please all the time, for 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 of him.”
Puel said the way that Vichai’s widow Aimon and son Aiyawatt – known as ‘Top’ – insisted on sharing what could have been extremely private moments of grief on Monday had brought everyone at the club even closer together.
“His son Top shared the first moment to honour Vichai with us in the stadium.
“We discussed with his mother and with Top and it was shared. 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. The owner made the club a family. He made it great.
“He truly was loved by everyone in the club and outside the club.
“Personally 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.”