Hart goes out to the Foxes
LEICESTER City 0 BURNLEY 0
Leicester City keeper Kasper Schmeichel embraces Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, son of the late club owner, and Joe Hart offers his condolences during the Foxes’ first game back at the King Power Stadium since the tragic accident.
In the circumstances, everything was right apart from the result.
Leicester City struck the right note in every aspect as they paid an emotional and moving farewell to their Chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
As the club has come to realise over the past fortnight, football for all its highs and lows, is very much “only a game”.
It would not have mattered if Leicester had been heavily beaten. But apart from the most die-hard Burnley supporters, few could have begrudged the home side if they had won. Instead they settled for a point, on a day that was about so much more than just the match.
This was acknowledged by Burnley boss Sean Dyche. While pleased with a point for his side, he saw the bigger picture. “A shocking thing has happened and everyone just feels it,” he said. “It has reminded everyone that underneath the glamour, a club is part of a community.
“The earthiness of football sometimes gets lost. But the Leicester people have been amazing.
“I came down to the ground last night and the amount of wreaths took me by surprise. We thought it was important to show our respect.”
This was the first match at the stadium since the tragic events of two weeks before when the owner’s helicopter crashed only yards away, killing all five passengers on board. There had been a huge outpouring of grief from both the club and the wider football family, culminating in this occasion. Thousands of fans took part in a special walk to the ground entitled, “5000 to 1” in respect of Leicester’s famous title win in 2016, made possible by the owner’s vision.
All foreign owners coming into English football dream of success and talk big. Unlike most of them, Srivaddhanaprabha saw those dreams fulfilled.
When he arrived in 2010, the aim was to get out of the Championship. People would have laughed at the idea of Leicester City being champions of England and enjoying incredible nights in the Champions League. But there he was in May 2016, stood on the pitch at the King Power Stadium holding aloft the Premier League trophy after his players had conquered the big boys.
In the past fortnight, the thing that has really struck a chord is the bond that existed between Khun Vichai, his players and the supporters. The late billionaire did not treat Foxes fans as consumers or
customers. Their loyalty was never taken for granted. Offers of free beer, doughnuts and season tickets showed a personal touch. That extended into the city as he made seven-figure donations to the city’s hospitals and universities, leaving a legacy beyond just football.
Before kick-off, a special video tribute to the man affectionately known to all at the club as The Boss was shown on the giant screens.
Special commemorative scarves were held up, displaying the words “Forever in our hearts”, while wreathes were laid on the pitch, led by his son, Aiyawatt.
Ranieri, along with other recent Foxes bosses Craig Shakespeare and Nigel Pearson and former players like Esteban Cambiasso and Robert Huth, were all in the directors’ box to pay their respects.
After an impeccable two-minutes silence, Leicester started off well and would have gone in front, but for Matt Lowton clearing Jamie Vardy’s shot off the line, while Rachid Ghezzal hit the crossbar with a header.
Joe Hart then denied Demarai Gray as the Foxes couldn’t find the goal their football deserved and saved again after the break from Marc Albrighton and Jonny Evans.
Understandably after a week in which they flew to Thailand for 36 hours to attend their owner’s funeral, their energy levels dropped as the match wore on.
Former Leicester striker Chris Wood half-volleyed as Burnley threatened to nick the points, but the afternoon ended on a poignant note.
The late owner’s son led players, staff and former managers around the pitch with tears in his eyes to acknowledge the love and support he has received.
“It was pure emotion,” said current manager Claude Puel. “It was a communion with our fans and players and staff. It was a fantastic connection.
“He was a nice man. He wanted to please the people around him. He was generous, not just with his money but with his feelings.
“He always had a smile and he wanted people around him with a smile.”