Sports
11:39, 30-Oct-2018
Players and owner's family visit stadium after Leicester City helicopter crash
Updated
10:38, 02-Nov-2018
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The weeping wife and son of Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha laid a wreath outside the soccer club's stadium on Monday as tributes poured in after the Thai tycoon's death in a helicopter crash.
Vichai and four others were killed when his helicopter crashed next to the King Power Stadium and then exploded after a Premier League match on Saturday.
His wife Aimon and son Khun joined hundreds of fans at the stadium where a mass of messages, floral tributes, shirts, and scarves were laid in honor of the father of four and founder of duty-free King Power International who was a huge favorite with the club's supporters.
Leicester City's player Jamie Vardy, Harry Maguire, Kasper Schmeichel, and the team's French manager Claude Puel also joined the mourners.
"Struggling to find the right words, but to me, you are a legend, an incredible man who had the biggest heart, the soul of Leicester City Football Club," Vardy wrote on Instagram.
Khun Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha (L), son of Leicester City's owner, Jamie Vardy (C) and Kasper Schmeichel pay tribute to Vichai and four other people who died in the helicopter crash accident. /VCG Photo
Khun Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha (L), son of Leicester City's owner, Jamie Vardy (C) and Kasper Schmeichel pay tribute to Vichai and four other people who died in the helicopter crash accident. /VCG Photo
“It is with the deepest regret and a collective broken heart that we confirm our chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was among those to have tragically lost their lives on Saturday evening when a helicopter carrying him and four other people crashed outside King Power Stadium,” a club statement said on Sunday.
The other victims two members of his staff, Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, pilot Eric Swaffer and passenger Izabela Roza Lechowicz, Leicestershire Police said.
Prime Minister Theresa May was among the many who sent messages of condolence while tributes have flooded in from Leicester players and across the soccer world.
Britain's Prince William, president of the English Football Association, said he had known Vichai for several years.
“He made such a big contribution to football, not least through Leicester City's magical 2016 season that captured the imagination of the world,” William said in a statement.
“He will be missed by all fans of the sport and everyone lucky enough to have known him.”
Source(s): Reuters