The Borneo Post (Sabah)

Fears for Leicester City’s Thai chairman after helicopter crash

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LEICESTER, United Kingdom: Fears grew for Leicester City’s charismati­c Thai chairman on Sunday after a helicopter belonging to the billionair­e crashed and burst into flames in the football stadium car park moments after taking off from the club’s pitch.

There was no confirmati­on whether London-based Vichai Srivaddhan­aprabha, who frequently flies to and from Leicester’s home games by helicopter, was on board the aircraft which appeared to develop mechanical problems.

The BBC quoted a source and a witness as saying Vichai, and a group of other people boarded the blue helicopter from the centre-circle in the middle of the pitch once the stadium emptied after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham.

Leicester City said it only it was assisting police with a “major incident” and officials at King Power, Vichai’s duty-free shopping empire, were not commenting.

Images showed orange balls of flame engulfing the wreckage in the carpark at King Power Stadium -the scene of unbridled jubilation after Leicester’s against-all-odds Premier League title victory in 2016.

“Literally the engine stopped and I turned around, and it made a bit of a whirring noise. It turned silent, blades started spinning and then there was a big bang,” freelance photograph­er Ryan Brown told BBC Radio 5 Live.

None of the identities of the pilot or passengers was revealed, and there was also no informatio­n about whether anyone on the ground was injured.

“We are assisting Leicesters­hire Police and the emergency services in dealing with a major incident at King Power Stadium,” the club said in a statement.

“I can’t get to sleep over it, because it means a lot to me, he did a lot for the club,” Leicester City supporter Anti Patel told AFP.

Expression­s of concern poured in from around the football world, in Britain and beyond.

England legend Gary Lineker, a former Leicester player and host of the BBC’s Match of the Day, tweeted: “That was the most difficult @BBCMOTD I’ve ever hosted... A terrible tragedy. Heartbreak­ing.”

Leicester stars Jamie Vardy and Harry Maguire both tweeted emojis of hands held up in prayer.

Nualphan Lamsam, also known as Madam Pang, an influentia­l figure in Thai football who manages the national women’s team, sent “moral support to Vichai and family” in a post on Facebook.

And ordinary fans in central Bangkok said Vichai helped develop Thailand’s football as well, bringing the Southeast Asian country greater recognitio­n in the sports world.

“He is an important person who has raised the bar of Thai football further,” Apichart Jitratkave­e, a Leicester fan in the Thai capital, told AFP.

“There were projects by Leicester City to select Thai teenagers to train in the club’s academy. They will have a chance to serve the nation in the future.”

Vichai bought Leicester City in 2010 and moved to chairman the following February, pouring millions into the team and becoming a beloved figure in the club and the city -- a feat not always achieved by the Premier League’s foreign owners.

The local ambulance service said it was alerted of an accident about 75 minutes after the final whistle blew.

Leicesters­hire police said Sunday the Air Accidents Investigat­ion Board, which probes civil air aircraft accidents, would lead the investigat­ion.

It was under Vichai’s ownership that Leicester crafted one of the biggest fairy-tales in English football history by winning the 2015/16 Premier League, having started the season as 5,000-1 outsiders for the title.-AFP

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