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Behind the history of the most adventurous football of modern times.
Leicester owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, feared to be killed during the helicopter crash at King Power Stadium, his home team after the match against West Ham on Saturday night.
The official team has not made a statement yet, but according to the BBC, the club's boss usually found himself in the helicopter taking off from King Power Stadium after the match ended Saturday.
News agencies Reuters and Sky News also announced Sunday morning that Srivaddhanaprabha was aboard the helicopter at the time of its collapse. His daughter had to be there too.
In addition, two pilots and a fifth person who have not yet been named should have been on board the helicopter.
Reuters does not have any information on the status of the five people on board.
An eyewitness to the accident told Sky News that the helicopter had almost immediately lost control after leaving the stadium and that it was describing a "total hell" at the scene of the accident. ;accident.
– Not the usual owner
"I woke up this morning and I thought it was just a nightmare, but when I went down to the stadium, the reality still struck me – it's a terrible news, and everything is zero here, "said Leicester Vice President Matt David, according to Sky Sports.
He describes a club owner whose modern football clubs can only dream of.
– What did the owners do for the club? They were so generous, so warm and so friendly. We're joking about the pint we get when it's a birthday, but it's a lot more than that, "said David.
– As donations to hospitals. He is so warm and full of love, very societal and humble. He is not the usual owner who goes by plane ten times a year to see the club. He is here every week.
READ ALSO: The Leicester owner's helicopter crashed in front of the stadium
5000 against one in luck
Srivaddhanaprabha is the man who has, in many ways, laid the foundation for the most sensational success of modern day football when Leicester won the league in the Premier League after predicting a relegation battle by the vast majority of experts before the season.
With a chance of 5,000 against 1, Leicester did not want to dream of being possible and assured the league on May 2, 2016 while the rest of the football world rubbed his unbelievers in his eyes.
The same month, the whole team went to Thailand, with Srivaddhanaprabha, to celebrate the gold medal of the series with the fans present. The popular club owner was a fan of the club, also from his home country.
However, the start of the multimillionaire's career was quite modest.
Started with tax free-shop
In 1989, he opened a duty free shop in Bangkok, which laid the foundation for his business empire. Today, the wealth of 3.8 billion pounds, or about 40 billion, makes it the fifth richest person in Thailand.
Srivaddhanaprabha bought Leicester for 39 million pounds in 2010 and appointed his son Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha as deputy director. Since then, the family has invested a lot of money in the club and has become very popular with fans of Leicester.
"For Leicester fans like me, it's the man who allowed us to dream, which left us at the top of the mountain, and we hope that all supporters of other clubs will know that everything is possible, "writes James Sharpe after Saturday. accident.
– Respected club
He said that fans in 2010 had learned that the club had been bought by a Thai businessman sharing the same feelings.
On one side, the club had big financial problems and needed a fresh start. Just two years earlier, Leicester had reached the third level of English football for the first time in its history.
On the other hand, the history of football – especially in England – is characterized by examples of foreign owners who have run their clubs in the ditch.
– Would they like to change the name of the club? Should we start playing with red suits? What happens if they come with a lot of money, but start to get bored and remove everything again? Sharpe writes.
– But none of this has happened. Only investments and respect for our traditions.
Give millions
When Srivaddhanaprabha bought the club, he borrowed it simultaneously with more than 100 million pounds in the first four years. Then he cleared the debt by converting the loan into shares. In this way, he could no longer withdraw from the club and claim the refund.
Then he spent money investing in new players. And after the 2016 series gala, the club launches plans for a new training center located outside King Power Stadium for a budget of 100 million pounds.
"Without Srivaddhanaprabha, this was never possible," writes Sharpe.
At the same time, the club owner also donated £ 2 million to a new children's hospital in Leicester and £ 1 million to the Department of Health at Leicester University. .
Spicy beer on the fans
As it was not popular with Leicester fans before, Srivaddhanaprabha spent a Singha beer – or a bottle of water for those who wanted it – in every support before the home encounter with Newcastle in April this year, because of his. -årsdag.
After Srivaddhanaprabha's investment in the club, Leicester will now account for 371 million pounds, according to Forbes magazine, nearly ten times the price he bought at the club for 2010.
The businessman is born Vichai Raksriaksorn. The last name was the family given by the Thai king in 2012. Srivaddhanaprabha means something like "the luminous glory of light".
He is married to Aimon Srivaddhanaprabha and has four children – Voramas, Apichet, Arunroong and Aiyawatt.
sources: Sky News, Daily Mail, Pulse, Forbes, lcfc.com, Wikipedia.
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