To commemorate the one year anniversary of his tragic passing, English Premier League side Leicester City announced that they are preparing a tribute to former owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
Through a press release on their website, the Foxes confirmed that they will be marking the anniversary with the opening of the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Memorial Gardens, set to open on the 27th of October.
Khun Vichai suffered an accident departing from Leicester’s game against West Ham on that date last year in his helicopter. Along with the chairman, staff members Kaveporn Punpare and Nusara Suknamai, and pilots Eric Swaffer and Izabela Lechowicz also lost their lives in the accident.
The owner’s legacy with Leicester City will go down as the greatest chapter in the clubs history. The Thai billionaire and founder of duty-free giants King Power took over Leicester City back in 2011 when the club was in the EFL Championship. Since then, his leadership helped the side not only advance to the Premier League but beat 5000-1 odds to become champions of England’s top division in 2016.
The genuine outpouring of grief after his death shows how much Khun Vichai meant to the club, and was widely regarded as one of the beloved owners in top-level football.
Since his passing, the club has been run by Vichai’s son Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, who has continued to invest in the club and carry on his father’s legacy.