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Thai billionaire Leicester City's boss was among the five killed when his helicopter crashed and caught fire in the Premier League stadium parking a few moments after his departure from the field, the club said Sunday.
A group of fans already fearing the worst had already laid flowers, soccer scarves and Buddhist prayers in front of the club's King Power Stadium after Saturday's crash in tribute to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha – the man to whom they attribute a victory against all odds in the Premier League in 2016.
"The world has lost a great man," the club said in a statement.
"Leicester City was a family under his direction, and it is as a family that we will miss his death and maintain the vision of the club that is now his legacy," he said.
A book of condolences will be open at the stadium from Tuesday and the team has postponed its match for the League Cup against Southampton at a later date.
"Everyone at the club has been truly touched by the remarkable response of the football family, whose thoughtful messages of support and solidarity have been deeply appreciated in this difficult time," the statement said.
Police named the other four victims: Nursara Suknamai and Kavebad Punpare, two Vichai staff members, pilot Eric Swaffer and pbadenger Izabela Roza Lechowicz.
Vichai, 60, owner of the King Free Empire in Thailand, was a regular at matches, he used to take the plane to go home.
The blue helicopter took off from midfield after the stadium emptied after Saturday's 1-1 draw against West Ham.
Eyewitnesses stated that the helicopter appeared to develop a mechanical problem in the rear propeller shortly after takeoff.
The pictures showed orange fireballs engulfing the wreckage of the stadium parking lot. Just two years ago, Leicester celebrated the most unlikely triumph in the Premier League.
"You have a hard time finding the right words … but for me, you are a legend, an incredible man who had the biggest heart, the soul of the Leicester City football club," said L & # Leicester striker, Jamie Vardy, one of the heroes of this success. on Instagram.
"Thank you for all that you have done for me, my family and our club.I'm really going to miss you …. can you rest in peace … #the boss"
– & # 39; Sense of the family & # 39; –
Prayers and tributes flocked from the world of football and beyond to the jovial man who has the merit of giving glory to the city of central England through the club producing miracles.
"He put Leicester on the map," AFP Cathy Dann, a 55-year-old supporter, told AFP.
"It made us big," she said, as aviation experts were picked up in small wrecks scattered on the edge of the stadium.
Among the tributes was an image of Ganesh – a Hindu god also observed in Thai Buddhist temples.
A minute of silence was observed before the whistle of Sunday's Premier League matches.
"It's a family business and they instilled that family feeling not only in the whole club but also in the city," team chaplain Andrew Hulley told AFP in the last seven years.
Football fans in Bangkok said that Vichai had also contributed to the development of the sport in Thailand, bringing the country of Southeast Asia greater recognition in the world of sport.
"This is an important man who has raised the bar of Thai football further," said AFP Apichart Jitratkavee, a fan of Leicester in the Thai capital.
Chamat Uchukanokkul, 39, said Vichai was "a source of inspiration for Thais … He showed that we can do everything if we decide to do it."
Vichai bought Leicester City in 2010 and became president in the following February, investing millions in the team and becoming a beloved figure of the club and the city – a feat rarely accomplished by foreign owners of the Premier League .
– 5000-1 chances –
It is under the ownership of Vichai that Leicester created one of the greatest fairy tales in the history of English football by winning the 2015/16 Premier League, having started the season with 5 000 to 1 underdogs for the title.
Vichai's investments in the club brought them back from the second-tier championship to the Premier League in 2014.
Occupying the bottom of the table for most of the 2014/15 season, the Foxes, dubbed the team, then designed what fans now fondly call "The Great Escape", winning seven of their last nine games.
They finished 14th, securing another season in the richest league of Europe in 2015/16.
But even their most fervent fans could not have imagined what would happen next.
Vardy scored in 11 consecutive matches, propelling the men in blue to an unprecedented title in the history of the Premier League.
The remarkable impact of Leicester's remarkable rise under Vichai on the continent was reflected when the Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid expressed their condolences.
"The club wants to offer its condolences to his family, his friends and all the fans of Leicester," said the champion of Europe, Madrid, in a statement.
"Our thoughts are with the entire @lcfc family, rest in peace," commented Barca on Twitter.
burs-dt / boc / kca / kaf / th
Fans fearing the worst had laid flowers, football scarves and Buddhist prayers in front of King Power Stadium in Leicester City after the crash.
The Thai owner of Leicester City, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was a regular at matches, he used to steal up to home games.
An AFP photographer saw smoke coming out of the wreckage at Leicester City Football Club's King Power Stadium
Tribute to the Thai billionaire, beloved character of the club and the city
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