Leicester City’s players, staff and supporters have paid an emotional tribute to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in their first game back at the King Power Stadium since the helicopter crash that claimed the life of the club’s owner and four others.
On a poignant afternoon, the stadium fell silent not only for two minutes before kick-off – this was also the club’s annual Remembrance fixture – but also during a touching video of Vichai that was shown on the giant screens inside the ground. “Without him, none of [the 2016 Premier League win] would have been possible,” said Alan Birchenall, the club ambassador and former Leicester player, as he stood in the centre of the pitch addressing the crowd.
“Champions of England, you made us sing that,” reverberated around the ground time and again as Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, Vichai’s son and the Leicester vice-chairman, looked on from the stands. Leicester supporters held commemorative scarves emblazoned with “Forever in our hearts”, in tribute to the owner.
Earlier in the day, thousands of supporters took part in a memorial walk that was the brainchild of two Leicester schoolgirls. Harry Maguire, Andy King, James Maddison, Matty James and Hamza Choudhury were among the Leicester City players who joined the fans as they marched from Jubilee Square in the city centre to the King Power Stadium, singing Vichai’s name.
The sea of floral tributes placed outside the stadium in the aftermath of the tragedy had been relocated on Friday, with the help of more than 200 volunteers, to an area close to the accident site, where fans flocked before kick-off to pay their respect to those that lost their lives a fortnight ago.
